Legend of Zelda: Forgotten Realms
by goldbear33
Summary: The land of Hyrule is still recovering from the effects of the Twilight. Link has returned home to his friends. However, things are not always as they seem and those countries that have been forgotten are surfacing to attack a newly weakened Hyrule.
1. Chapter 1

The Legend of Zelda:

Forgotten Realms

Disclaimer: I unfortunately own nothing, nor do I care to. The characters are all the property of Nintendo or whoever the heck owns the rights. Anything I have is non-copyright, do what you want with it.

Though there are many places in which one may reside, from the highest mountain tops to the bottom of the deepest, darkest lake; the place that is truly your home can only be the place where you find those that you love. Indeed as the Twilight has risen, the love of those who lived in the shadow of the Dark One has blossomed as quickly as the darkness has receded.

"Link!" The children of Orden village were always glad to see the farmhand turned hero.

"How di d you defeat the bad guys?"

"Did you rescue the Princess?"

"Where have you been, we've been worried about you?" The poor hero was confused by the endless stream of questions from the smaller ones. Deciding that such questions could not be easily answered he decided that running away was his best option. The youth left Epona and all of his things at his house and sprinted past the children toward the valley.

All of the villagers were busily at work tending to what was needed when a thunderous roar rung their ears. Looking up the hill leading into the village was a lone man that was being chased by several smaller persons. The older half of the population merely laughed and continued on with the work they had to do.

The green clad warrior had nearly escaped when he tripped on a washout caused by the recent rains. Before he even had a chance to move the little one were upon him. Their overwhelming numbers gave no room for escape. The mischievous band of rogues firmly restrained him with an old and time tested technique. They all sat on top of him and wouldn't move.

"Ha Ha Ha." The booming voice of Mayor Bo was something that everyone in village recognized. As soon as the children hear the mayor they all jumped off of Link and stood in a single file line. "We wouldn't want you to be hurting the returning hero would we?"

"We were just playing."

"I know I'm just teasing you. Now run along so that I can speak with Link here." The children ran off, eager to get back to playing. "Link, I understand that you've been through a lot and that there may be some things that are difficult to transition back to, but if you need anything just ask." Link smiled with his silly grin and nodded. The mayor led link to his house at the end of the village.

Link noticed Ilia sitting in front of her father's home and smiled. He stopped walking and stared at her as she sat. "Link. I appreciate the liking you've taken to my daughter, but I would be a bit more comfortable if you didn't stare at her like that."

"heh." Link turned away bright red.

"Don't worry my boy. I'm only teasing you." The burly mayor led him to his home. "Ilia, Link has returned." She shook off her daydream and instantly stood up. She took one look at the man in green and jumped him.

"Link, you're alright. I was afraid that something had gotten you."

"Nonsense. We knew that you were going to be fine." The mayor bragged about the youth. Link's face returned to its now common red color. The hero was not very vocal about his accomplishments, not that he was vocal about anything. "You two have fun. I'll get everyone together for your coming home party. I figured you'd want to be away from the little kids just getting back." The mayor winked at Link before turning around and heading toward the village.

"Link." Ilia hugged the ex-farmhand. "You're not going to leave again, are you?" Link shook his head and smiled. "Good. I missed you so much. It's tough being the only mature one around here. Well, except for maybe Colin." She pointed toward the youth who was playing with the others in what could only be described as a game of tag, but looked more like wrestling match. Ilia laughed as Talo tackled Colin and the pair rolled down the hill and into the stream running through town.

Link snickered and sat down in front of the house with Ilia. "Link, I was just thinking, we've been friends for a long time right?" Link nodded. "After you helped us in Kakariko Village and you brought back my memory I had a lot of time on my hands and all I could think about was you. I suppose it's silly, but I thought that maybe you had the same kinds of thoughts?"

Link was caught off guard by the turn the conversation had taken. Maybe it was the way he had reacted or maybe it was the lack of verbal confirmation, but whatever he did Ilia misinterpreted his sudden recoil as a bad thing.

"Link. I'm sorry, I just thought…" She got up and ran off toward the town. Link refocused and started down the hill after her.

"Hey Link, I could use some help." Fado walked toward him. Link had other things on his mind and when Fado got in his way he bowled him over. "Hey, a simple no would have been ok."

Link got up after stumbling to see Ilia running past his house and toward the only place he assumed she would go. Colin turned to see the chase that was going on and silently left the younger children to go see what was amiss. He ran after Link. The other children noticed him leave and all wondered where he could be headed for they had not seen the events leading up to the present.

"I suppose I should go after him." Talo laughed as the group set off after Colin.

Link only caught up to Ilia as she attempted to lock the gate on him for the second time in a year. "Go away Link I want to be alone." She cried as Link stopped her from shutting him out. She gave up on her exertions knowing that she couldn't possibly hold back Link. She walked to the edge of the spring and sat down. Her tears fell to the sand in front of her. Link quietly walked next to her and sat down. She made no move to get away.

Link was no more able to understand the feelings of a female, much less a teenager, as the next guy. Even if he had, there would be no way for him to put into words the thoughts that he had. So he weighed his options carefully, understanding that if he screwed up here then things could go really bad. Finally he decided that there was only one thing that he could do. He turned to his friend who noticed the sudden shift in his posture.

Ilia turned toward him and looked into his blue eyes trying to figure out what was in that head of his. If only she could ever get the silly teen to speak his mind, but she had a hard enough time trying to get him to say anything at all. "Link it's just that I've liked you for the longest time, and I…" the tears came back to her eyes as she tried to voice her feelings. She looked toward the ground as if trying to find a way to explain herself.

Link decided that he wouldn't be able to bear the sight of her unhappy once again. He gently tilted her chin back up and pressed his lips against hers. The two young friends were only in contact for a few seconds, but in that time a feeling spread through both of them, unlike any they had felt before. He pulled away and looked back into her eyes; no longer seeing the pained tears of earlier. "I…I've felt the same way." He whispered to her.

Now the young ones were not exactly up to date on the events of the day and when they arrived and saw the two on the edge of the spring they didn't know what to do. Colin, of course wanted to make sure that they were ok, while the others didn't want to interrupt them they didn't know what to tell Colin. Beth finally came up with something and walked over to Colin. She told him that if he walked in that she was going to kiss him.

Colin was decidedly against going in after the statement, much to the chagrin of Beth who was really hoping she would have to go after him. The children watched from afar as events occurred. The four of them couldn't help but voice their surprise. Although no of them knew what was most surprising, the fact the Link had just kissed Ilia, or the fact that this was the first time that they had heard him say anything.

Ilia was as surprised as anyone else, but before she said something the two friends noticed the lurkers in the shadows. "It's alright kids, you can come out."

"I told you we should have hid better."

"Nuh, uh you were the one who wanted a better view."

"Guys, just relax." Colin and Malo had to force the two apart before things got too crazy. Colin forced Beth away with all he could while Malo attempted to hold back his older sibling. Link and Ilia managed to walk back over before the two children really started fighting.

"Come on, Link is tired from his journey home, don't you think we should let him rest and not fight." Ilia scolded the two.

"We're sorry." They replied in unison. Talo, the ever immature one decided to give Beth a little shove before sprinting off back to the village. Colin caught her as she stumbled back and then was forced to wrap his arms around her before she could take off after the youth. Beth's anger subsided as she felt Colin's embrace. She smiled happily as the smith's son released her. She grabbed his hand and although he was surprised by the sudden move, he made no attempt to escape.

Link looked after the two young ones who held hands as they walked back toward Ordon Village. He smiled and grasped Ilia's hand, which she was only too happy to receive. The two teens followed the children back to the village as the sun started to set. Time had indeed moved quickly and it was getting time for dinner. Link's stomach growled as much from anticipation of the meal he knew the mayor would prepare as much as from the journey home.

"Look who finally decided to show up. You two are perhaps the slowest pair I've ever seen. Even the kids were able to get back here before you." Indeed, the children had managed to beat the pair by quite a while. Everyone else was already seated so Link took a seat at the end while Ilia sat next to her father. "Hey, get down here you silly fool. We aren't just having this feast for any occasion." The mayor had saved a seat at the end of the table for Link.

Link appreciated the offer, but it meant that he had to walk past all of the food. The table was covered in delicacies, everything from roasted goat, which was always really good in Ordon, to steaming pumpkin pies. The poor hero barely made it to the end of the table without his stomach turning on him. As he sat down he really hoped that they could just get to eating.

"We are here tonight to honor, a person who can only be called a hero." Rats, he couldn't get to the food. "Link has been a member of our family here for years. His deeds have never gone unnoticed and his character has always been something to envy. Yet it wasn't enough for him to just do what he was asked. He went above and beyond the call of duty, by not only saving the entire village, and its children, but the entire nation of Hyrule as well. So today we eat this feast in honor of him. To Link."

The Mayor raised his glass and finally noticed that Link had already cut himself a piece of goat. He swallowed and gave the mayor a meek smile. The mayor laughed heartily and invited everyone to join the young man who had eagerly begun to eat. "Sorry, young man, I forgot that you hadn't eaten in a while." Link just nodded and continued to wolf down the food on the table before him.

Ilia only had a little bit of the goat, but she enjoyed watching Link attempt to eat his. "Hey Link." He turned with a piece of goat still in his mouth. She laughed as he attempted to finish it before she continued. "What are you doing tonight? I mean after the feast." Link thought about it for a little bit. He did have to unpack his things, but after that he had nothing else.

"Nothing."

"What the heck? You could speak the entire time and you just give me little nods and grins. Why have you been leading us on this whole time?"

"There hasn't been much to say."

"Oh, of course." The mayor was still stunned to hear the young man's voice. It was a soft voice that carried behind it strength. Much like the young man it belonged to.

"Dad, can Link stay with us tonight? He doesn't have anybody to stay with at home."

"Of course, it would be my honor, if you wished to Link." Link looked over toward Ilia for a second before turning back to the mayor and nodding. The mayor smiled and continued with the food. Even though Link was basically starving the mayor still managed to out eat him. By the time everyone got to dessert there was nothing leftover.

At dessert Rusl took Link from the table for a second to talk to him. "By now everyone knows what you did and about all of your adventures. You have done a lot for this village and we thank you for that, but the reason I wanted to talk to you was Colin. I wanted to thank you for taking care of him. He has learned a lot since you helped rescue them. I was hoping that you would be able to keep track of him for me. I really want him to be able to grow up and be able to go on adventures of his own."

Link nodded, he already had a close relationship with the youth and was only too eager to take him under his wing.

"Thanks Link. I am indebted to you yet again. I'll let you go, I'm sure you've plenty of things to do." Rusl looked knowingly toward Ilia and then looked back at Link. "She's nice, but beware of the mayor. He trusts you, but he's very on edge after his daughter was taken." Link smiled and nodded.

Rusl returned to his wife and two children, leaving Link to attend to his things. He was never one for parties anyway. Link made it back to his house to find his ever faithful steed waiting for him. He ran his hand along Epona's hair before taking his things off of her. He brushed her coat for a while before gathering up his things climbing up to his home. He dropped his things to the floor and admired his home. It wasn't very much, but it always felt good to return home.

He bent over to grab some of his things and felt something brush against his shoulder. He unsheathed his sword and looked at the figure that had touched him.

"Link, it's just me." Ilia cried out, afraid that Link was going to do something rash. Link was however, his ever composed self.

"Sorry." He looked back toward the ground ashamed that he had almost attacked his dear friend.

"You're fine Link. It's been a tough road for you. I just came by to help you unpack. Where do you put your stuff anyway?" Link pointed at the floor by his bag as he sheathed his sword. "I know where it is. Where do you keep it?" Link pointed at the floor again. "Why am I not surprised? How do you even keep track of all of your stuff?" Link shrugged attempting to divert questions. "We have a lot of work to do this summer. Just leave it, we'll come back tomorrow." Link wasn't going to argue with her and followed her out of the house.

They took their time getting back to Ilia's house. They didn't want to be home just yet. "Link, what are you going to do now that you've saved everybody. I mean, there's probably nothing that could really be of interest to you here." Link shrugged. He didn't know what he would do now. After all there wasn't that much that he could do. Anything he could would be to boring for him.

"Maybe we could go on a great adventure, somewhere far away from here. We could travel across the country to faraway places, just the two of us. We could have our own little adventure." Ilia had grown tired of Ordon Village as well. After seeing the numerous places around Hyrule she couldn't bear to be stuck in the small village any longer.

Link smiled as he thought about the fun adventures that the two of them could enjoy, but as he thought about it he realized that an adventure was really not something that you wanted to happen. It came about because it was necessary. As much fun as being an adventure was it wasn't something you just did. Link decided to not say anything, he wanted to go with her everywhere, but he didn't like the idea of them heading off into all sorts of danger.

"I understand Link. Especially after everything that happened in this last adventure. I think we should at least spend another year here. After all, home is where those you love are." He smiled at that. It was going to be a great year.

I know this is my first story in a while. Things are getting busy and honestly I think that there are things more important than just writing. Obviously consider the nature of this first chapter it's those around you that are the most important and while I don't know how often I'll update or whether I will even add a second chapter I know that I will have my time spent doing things that I love with the people I love and those of you on this site I encourage to do the same. You only live life once and the internet cannot give you the same experience as the world/people around you.

That was my message of the chapter. Ranting again. Do what you want I cannot tell you what to do. I hope that you enjoyed my story and that I am able to update again soon. Until then.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Character, like a photograph, develops in darkness. Truly the darkness brings out the worst in the world around us, and yet it brings out the best in the people around us and in that of ourselves. The hardest steels are forged in the hottest fires. The difficulty that our heroes have faced is above most things anyone has any had to face. Suddenly the world is about to light up in a burst of flame. What shall emerge?

She smiled as the two walked toward her house. Outside however was an event they could have never predicted.

Rusl was sword fighting a hooded man. Rusl was a good enough swordsman, but whoever was hidden underneath the cloak was much better. It seemed as though he was toying with the older man who was still struggling to hold his own. When the swordsman heard the footsteps of the two coming in behind him he quickly disarmed the older fighter and turned to face the couple.

"Well, it seems as though you lied to me Bo. You said you didn't have her. Yet here she is with this green elf. Hylians, with their strange ears. Listen lad, if you just let me have the girl, this can all go away." Link stepped in front of Ilia while staring at the mayor who was cover in blood from where the stranger had cut him. "Everybody has to be a hero. You don't even know her. Right Bo."

"What are you talking about?" Ilia stammered.

"Oh, he hasn't even told you? Bo, you've out done yourself. You hid her right in plain sight. I'm sorry milady. You are in fact the daughter of a great nobleman in our country. A pity I'll have to kill you."

"You… won't win. They'll stop you."

"A couple of kids aren't going to stop us from anything. Hyrule is ours anyway."

"Yeah that's what you said before we killed your king."

"You killed my father. I should have known. Well Ilia, it's best that I kill your "father" to make up the difference." The figure turned toward the mayor, but felt ice cold steel against his throat. "Stupid kid, you should learn to keep yourself out of trouble. The figure turned and brought up his sword knocking Link's sword away from his throat.

Ilia rushed to help her father while Link faced off against the stranger. He let down his hood and sized up Link. Link immediately noticed his similarities to Ilia. He had the same hair and green eyes. He also had a scar down his left cheek. "You could have lived a bit longer, but now I see that you're just going to get in the way.

"What is your name stranger?" Link asked trying to get as much information out of the man as he could.

"I am Rion. And your friend there is the only thing stopping me from taking complete control of Hyrule."

"Why?"

"If I told you that, then I wouldn't have much of an advantage would I?" The swordsman lunged out at Link attempting to poke his defenses. Link wasn't prepared to give away his skill just yet and made a simple parry. As the other fighter continued to test the green clad warrior he was increasingly distraught by the youth's ability to block even the strongest strikes with a simple parry. Link finally discover the other warrior's strategies and made his first move.

He quickly parry an overhead swing from the left and drove his sword down and into the man's left arm, effectively break the bone while not penetrating the armor. The fighter let go of the sword with his left arm and stared at the Hylian. This was no ordinary teenager. He started stepping around Link trying to get an advantage. When he found none he did the only thing he could think of; the warrior was now between Link and the Ilia and he turned and made a strike at the young girl. The mayor saw the move and took the blow. The cut to his side was fatal, but he had done his job. Link slashed at the soldier nearly cleaving him in two, but his armor managed to take most of the blow. The injured man ran off toward the center of town, where he met his horse and rode off.

"Link…" The mayor was struggling to breath. The teen kneeled by his side. "Keep her safe. Take her... to Zelda; she'll know what… to do. I…I'm sorry… I only wish... that you two didn't have… to go through… this. Link take this." The mayor closed his eyes as he slipped from life. Ilia cried over the body of her lifeless father. Link clutched the last thing that the mayor had given to him. It was a note along with the key to his house.

It was a night that could never have lasted any longer. Darkness descended upon the village yet again. Only this darkness was not that of twilight, but a pure, evil darkness. The villagers mourned the passing of their leader. That very night they buried him. In silence they buried him in the early hours of the morning. Link attempted to comfort Ilia, but he knew anything he tried would be in vain. He decided to get the things they would need and load up a wagon headed for Hyrule castle. It wasn't safe here anymore.

Link left Ilia with Rusl and went into the mayor's house. It was exactly as he had seen many times over. He read the note the mayor had given to him. "When you find yourself wrestling with darkness you can find the answer." Link wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that but he knew it had something to do with the wrestling mat that was in the house. There wasn't anything special about it, but he checked anyway.

He shut the door as he went in and as the room became perfectly dark he notice a light coming from under the mat. He pulled up the mat to find a hole in the floor with a lantern settled in the alcove. There was a sword, a locket, and a note.

"It must be assumed that I am dead should someone be reading this note. I tell you that I am not the man that you may have thought I was. I came from a faraway land to protect my daughter. I am the sage of the western wilderness. For years only I and the leader of Hyrule have known what that means. Now you must go and contact the Princess. Time is of the essence. The Westerners are coming and there is only a little bit of time left before they truly invade. Bring Ilia with you. She will help you to overcome what you are about to face. Good luck, the fate of the world depends on you."

For the second time in only a few months Link was about to embark on a journey to save the world. He took the sword and locket and walked out of the mayor's house; he locked the door and gave the key to Rusl.

"Good luck Link. I know that Bo always considered you a son to him. We'll see you when you get back." Link embraced the old swordsman and smiled. He and Ilia would get that adventure, but it wouldn't be without costs. He met her at the only place he knew her to hide. With Epona and the wagon he headed for the spring where he found her sitting in the pool.

"Ilia..."

"It's alright. There isn't much to be said Link. I just need time alone." Link walked back to the wagon and lay down in the back. Time had taken its toll and he fell asleep in a few seconds. When he awoke the next morning he found Ilia nestled up beside him. Tears stained her face from the previous night. He kissed her forehead before walking back to the front. Another horse led the wagon while Epona was followed them since she wasn't the type of steed to pull a wagon. The horse pulled them diligently out of the forest and toward Hyrule castle.

Hyrule Field was as bright and sunny as ever. Flowers were sprouting all over the field and the birds were chirping. Link felt a hand on his shoulder as Ilia climbed next to him. "It's beautiful isn't it? I've never seen a sight quite like it." Link nodded smiling. He enjoyed the relaxing feeling of the field. She leaned over and kissed him. He was only too happy to receive it. The two of them were so focused on the other that they didn't notice the riders coming up from behind them.

Link broke away from the kiss when he heard the sounds of another horse behind them. There were five riders armed with swords. They were quickly gaining on the wagon and were fiercely eyeing the two young riders. Link drew his sword getting ready to fight them, but suddenly one of the riders fell off his steed, followed by another and then another. The remaining two horsemen wheeled away back to where they came.

Link noticed the wooden shafts that were buried in the chests of the horsemen on the ground. He was also surprised to see that the feather patterns matched his own. He went back into the wagon to check on his bow to find a surprise.

"Colin!"

"Sorry, Link, but you left in such a hurry you didn't let me say good-bye. Then I fell asleep in this wagon."

"It isn't his fault Link, besides; he's a better shot than you." Though he didn't want to admit it the youth was an amazingly good archer for his age.

"Come on Link. I can't go back now it's too dangerous."

"Fine." Colin was happy to get his friends approval, even if it was forced. He climbed back into the wagon while Link sighed. They were nearing Hyrule Castle, but there was an air of darkness that was floating over the land. When they reached the gate the guards quickly opened it allowing the group entrance to the city.

"Princess. Link and a couple of his friends have entered Castle Town. I think you may want to speak with them."

"I know. Darkness gathers in the west. Tell them to meet me at the tavern."

"As you wish." The soldier left Princess Zelda in her room to prepare to meet the new arrivals. Zelda threw on a dark hood and long cloak to cover her normal regal dress. She left through the normal back way. The garden held a tunnel which exited in an abandoned house in the corner of town. From there she hurried down the alley to the main street.

The market place was crowded with numerous people out with the fall of twilight. Zelda made sure that her face was covered as she made her way through the sea of people. She finally reached the back alley and entered the tavern where the members of the Resistance now only met for fun. Link had not yet arrived so she ordered a drink and sat at the bar. She glanced about the room for any suspicious faces. She noticed someone in the corner that appeared of shady intent, but was stopped from taking her time by the entrance of three villagers.

"Link it's good to see you again. Perhaps if we were to meet under better circumstances." Link nodded with his face in carrying a tone of seriousness. She then noticed the two others. One was a teenage girl about Link's age with soft green eyes; and a youth about ten with a childish complexion. He had blonde hair and blue eyes that held a look of determination that she had only seen in one other person.

"Who are your friends Link?"

"I'm Ilia and this is Colin."

"Why did you bring them with you? I don't think what's about to happen is for anyone of their particular skill set."

"Hey, we both know how to fight and Colin has saved people's lives many times. Plus it was the death of my father that led us here. Who do you think you are to question us like this?" Link looked over to Zelda who nodded knowingly. She removed the hood on her cloak revealing her face to those in the bar.

"I'm sorry for your loss, miss, but we have a force unlike any other coming after us. As much as I appreciated your help I can't just send anyone…" She looked down at the note that Link had suddenly shoved into her hands. "Oh, I see. Then this is something larger than I had previously thought. Bring over those three we are going to need help." She pointed at the members of the resistance sitting by the table.

The group unfurled a map and held down the edges. "Now they could come through the desert, which would be the quickest route, but since they sent an advanced party I would assume that they are trying to move around the desert which would put them either through the Snowpeaks, which they won't do, which only leaves one option." Shad stopped with his finger on Ordon. Link stood stoic as the realization dawned on his friends.

"No, we have to go back; we can't just leave our family. Link, tell them." Link stared at Ilia and without a word she knew the response he was going to give her. "You can't just leave them."

"Ilia, we can't do anything. Ordon is outside of Hyrule. We can't send men because our soldiers would simply resist. It's hard enough to protect a land as large as we hold adding to the size we have to cover would be too large." Ilia knew they were right but she could bring herself to give up on those they had left behind.

"Link, you and Ilia will have to travel through the desert to the temple in the West. There you will find the secret to defeating the army of this new threat."

"I am not going unless you can help our friends." Zelda was in a bit of a predicament. She could expend any more of her forces, but if Ilia failed to join Link there would be no hope.

Suddenly she felt a presence behind her. She knew it was the man from the corner. She silently unsheathed her dagger while the rest of the group examined the newcomer. She thrust her arm back to attack the assailant, but was stopped as he grabbed he wrist and took the dagger from her hand.

"Easy friend. I know I'm not quiet Hylian, but that doesn't mean you have to kill me." He stabbed the dagger into the map on the table. "I understand that you and your friends are in quite a mess. I was seeking to offer my assistance."

"We're listening." Zelda said as she sheathed her dagger.

"A sorry would have been fine. Either way, I have friends who are at this moment in the Faron Woods. We are aware of this sudden threat from the west as well and we hope to come away from this ahead."

"So you're mercenaries."

"For lack of a better word, yes. Seeing as you don't have many options on the table I would hope you take my offer."

"What is your offer?" Zelda was concerned about what this strange man would as of her.

"We do this for you and when all is said and done you owe us a favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"We don't know yet, but when we get there you'll know. Deal?" The man stuck out his hand. Zelda looked back at those surrounding the table and knew that she lacked any other options. She took his hand and sealed the deal.

"By the way, what is your name sir?"

"Leif. We're from the land to the south. Irise."

"How is it that we have no idea of your land?"

"We pride ourselves on keeping hidden. Princess Zelda, although I do applaud your efforts to attempt to pry information out of me but it will simply not work. Now I bid you all a farewell. Zelda we are commandeering several wagons to move the civilians out of harm's way."

"I don't think we have enough equipment to move that many people."

"We already took all of your things; I will return it to you on the eve of two days. Until then." Leif left and shut the door behind him.

"Well it appears that your friends will be fine, do I have your cooperation now?"

"We are taking Colin with us too." Link turned to her suddenly very defensive of the youth that they had in their charge. "He'll be fine. Besides we need someone else to accompany us."

"He's only ten."

"I know, but he's already shown his capabilities as a fighter. His courage is unquestioned and he won't leave you anyway Link. Teach him how to fight and he could be more of a help than you think." Link sighed. He would never be able to convince Ilia otherwise, and he would be able to keep them company on the long trip.

"Fine."

"You have your team assembled. We will get you the steeds you require and provide you with supplies. The members of my team will be right behind you if you need any other help. With any luck we can be done with this in only a few days." Shad rolled up the map and put it back in his pack. "Zelda, I assume that you can handle the defense of Hyrule." She nodded. "Then it's settled. Good luck everyone."

The three from Ordon were allowed to stay at the tavern for the night. The rest of the group went their separate way. As they stepped out of the bar Shad turned to Zelda. "What are you going to do when the Amerens take out the mercenaries and kill all of the civilians."

"I wish I had something else I could do. Ilia has to go with Link and this way she does."

"You know that they are stronger than any other army. There is no way that we defeat them."

"That is why Ilia and Link are leaving. They have to destroy the source of their power."

"You know that it's in a temple that hasn't ever been opened, right?"

"What other options do we have? This isn't my choice, it's Hyrule's only option."

Leif wasn't exactly what you'd call a normal around Hyrule. He came with his team from a land to the south. They weren't exactly what you would call average fighters, either. In fact they were incredible with what they did, however Leif also knew what he was getting them into a heap of trouble. The soldiers from Amera were known for their ability to take blow after blow. He also knew that Princess Zelda was aware of the fact. It was the only way that he could convince her to accept his bargain. She never expected him to come back.

The thing was he always came back. Now he was leading his team across Hyrule field to go evacuate people he'd never met from a town he'd never been to just to get a favor. They had something in mind, but they weren't quite sure if they wanted it entirely. The travel was as bumpy as was to be expected. The dirt paths across the fields were uneven from the rough travel by bublins and other creatures that ran amuck during the Twilight. Add in weather and other conditions the roads were more than anything else.

When they reached the Faron Woods they made note of all the positions that they could take and that the enemy could hold. From their scout's report the enemy was about a day out and they would reach them as they were coming out of the Village. "Hey, Sori. There's the entrance to the woods from the village. I bet if we took out that tree we could slow the, down. Take some of the guys and get it ready for when we come back."

"I'm on it Leif."

"Everyone else double time to the village. I don't care when they are expected to get there we need to move as fast as possible." The team rode toward the village with renewed intensity. From what Leif understood the Amerens were going break through the hills surrounding the village. They only hoped that they could get everyone out before the Amerens broke into the village.

"Link is this really necessary, I mean after all we are only going to be away for a little bit." He looked up and smiled at her after he finished placing the shoe on her foot. Zelda set up a going away party for the adventurers. In her mind it was a final farewell, but she didn't tell them that. "Link I want you to answer me."

"Yes, it is."

"Don't give me your little four syllable answers. I want to actually talk to you."

"What's there to say? Zelda asked us to be at a party in our honor. It's only natural we oblige."

"Fine, but I still don't get the whole idea behind it."

"She wants to say goodbye."

"Who throws a party because someone is leaving? It's normally just a sad goodbye to your friends."

"She doesn't think we're coming back."

"What?"

"The Amrens are undefeated in any battle, ever."

"We'll just have to change that then, won't we hero boy."

"Of course." Ilia led Link out the door. Colin was already at the party as he had spent most of the day with the princess. Link and Ilia had spent the day getting ready to leave and cuddling. Many people thought Link was going soft, but in actuality it was more that he wanted to feel someone's touch that wasn't trying to kill him. He was also very happy to find that Ilia liked him back as much as he liked her. His adventure had kept his mind away from thoughts of her, but when it was over he struggled with thoughts of her again.

Every moment he had ever spent with here was one of the best of his life. When he was with her he was always a bit brighter and happier. When she had lost her memory and forgotten him he was nearly torn to pieces inside. His greatest fear was not that she would never remember him, but that she wouldn't be the same person she was. He always liked her for her and not for any other reason. When she lost her memory he was afraid she'd become someone else.

Now though he had none of these thoughts. She led him by that hand to the carriage that was going to take them to the castle where they were holding the celebration. They were to be the last ones there since Link was always the slowest getting ready for any special occasion. His ranchers outfit wouldn't do and the green tunic that had become his mainstay was not suited for such an occasion. The fluffy shirt that he had been lent was the height of style in Hyrule. The only problem was that Link struggled endlessly to get it on. The fight was finally one by the hero, but at the cost a fancy vase. Something he was quite used to doing by now. Ilia had called him clumsy, but he knew what those things could hide.

She tugged at him gently as the carriage stopped outside the Castle gates. He jumped down off the vehicle and then helped her down. The entire city that could make it was standing inside of the impressive structure. Link could feel his blood start flowing. He was the one who hated to be in front of people. Ilia, on the other hand, was so curious that it made no difference to her if there were two or two thousand.

She led him up the steps to the main room. The people crowded all corners of the open area. The only place where there was not a person was in the center of the room. Zelda noticed the two's entrance and walked to the unoccupied area. "People of Hyrule, we are here to day in the celebration of two people who are stronger than any I ever met in my entire lifetime. Link has already saved Hyrule once, and now he and his friend Ilia are going on an adventure to save us again."

The crowd began to murmur as they did not know of the threat that was fast approaching. Link looked hesitant. He was fairly certain that Zelda had something in mind that they hadn't foreseen. Why was she deciding to tell the people now? After all there wasn't a need to tell them at a party. She had something else in mind and Link knew it.

"I'm sorry to all of you when I say this. We haven't told you about the other countries that lie far beyond our borders. In fact there are two that I must tell you of. The Amerens are from the West. They are normally a peaceful nation, but now that we are weak it seems they want to take advantage. Then in the south are the Irese a people that know nothing of the troubles we face. They are a hidden people and appear as mercenaries. If any of you see them coming be sure to raise the alarm.

Link now understood that she was just playing politics. She never intended to pay off Leif and his friends. He couldn't believe that she would just sell them out. He could feel his blood start to boil until Zelda called him forward. Link nervously walked to the center of the room.

"Link is going to save us from these people. So today we have a party in his and his friends honor." Zelda motioned for Ilia to join them. "So let us begin with a dance." Link looked at her with a look of horror. He had never danced in his entire life and now she had him in front of hundreds of people. The music began to play slowly building to the start of the song.

"Link, take my hand." Ilia held out her hand to him. He took it not knowing any other option. "Now just follow my lead." Now that may have been a nice enough word of advice, but Link was still just as terrible as he expected. He only managed a few steps before he tripped and went face first into the floor. Quickly rising to his feet he took a hold of Ilia again. This time though he tried as hard as he possibly could so that he wouldn't make a fool of himself again.

They danced gracefully along the floor and after a while the others joined in. Soon the building was full of dancing couples who were looking to enjoy their evening. Link and Ilia enjoyed the time until at one point Ilia looked up to admire the chandeliers above them. Link followed her gaze, but as he looked up the memories of what had happened here came flooding back to him. He let her hand slip from his and he headed for the door. No one noticed their exit and the party remained a lively place.

"Link what's the matter?" Then Ilia remember what he had done at the palace. Even though no one had been harmed in the castle it was still the culmination of many of the worst things that had happened to them. "Don't worry. That party wasn't that exciting anyway." Link smiled as she attempted to make him feel better. The truth was he wasn't unhappy in the slightest. He would just rather not be there.

"Let's go back. We're leaving early anyway." Ilia wasn't going to argue. They slipped away from the party and walked back toward their temporary residence. Link walked past a cat that purred at him. Before his adventure he would have thought nothing of it. "What is it trying to tell me?" He thought to himself.

"It's just a cat Link. Cats don't know that much."

"You'd be surprised." The cat pointed toward the castle and Link finally remembered what he'd forgotten. "Colin." The two friends laughed as they turned around and headed back toward the castle. Link laid down a large cut of meat he had snuck out of the party for the cat before heading back.

They walked back up the steps and pushed their way back into the party. Across the room Colin was drinking with a few of the soldiers. The pair walked over to them.

"Link, howya doing buddy."

"What are you drinking Colin?"

"It's just some juice."

"Yeah, we've been keeping track of him." One of the soldiers took a drink and everyone watched him go pale.

"What's up? You don't look so good sergeant."

"This is grape juice." One of the soldiers took the drink from Colin's hand and took a drink.

"You might want to take him home. He and the sergeant accidently switched drinks." They laughed as the youth tripped walking away.

"How many drinks did you let him have?" Ilia asked becoming concerned.

"Just one and he didn't finish it, but he looks a little affected by it." The trio walked home through the street. Link finally decided to carry Colin since the youth's walking was becoming erratic. He hadn't had much, but it was easy to tell that it had influenced the poor child. When they reached their place they walked in and placed him on the bed where he fell fast asleep.

"Well it's been an interesting night, hasn't it?"

"Yeah." Link slid the covers over the Colin and left the room with his lady friend.

"Now you have to get out of that silly outfit." Ilia insisted on playing with him as long as she could and indeed Link had a great difficulty getting the clothing off. So much in fact that he just cut the articles off with his sword and donned his tunic. "You're so goofy." Ilia laughed as she ruffled his hair which was already disorganized by the day he'd had.

"Good night." Link kissed her before going into the room they now had to share because of Colin. Ilia followed after him a few seconds later after removing some of her finer garments.

"Hey, Link can I ask you a question." Her only response was that of silence. When she reached the bed she found the hero asleep. She smiled and kissed him on the head before lying down and cuddling up next to him. The dark room gave way to the darkness of her eyelids as she drifted off to sleep.

"Everyone if you could calmly and quietly pack all of your things. You are being evacuated to Hyrule because of a coming attack." The people were still shook up from the recent nights and were only too eager to get away from the memories that now haunted them. The townspeople were quick and efficient. They packed their essentials and nothing more.

Leif was impressed by their quick action. Sometimes even his team didn't move that fast. He had the villagers meet him at Link's house where they would await further instructions. Once the last wagon full of people and supplies was at their rally point Leif had his second in command lead them away from the village and he would bring up the rear.

Leif's second in command was Palee. He was one of Leif's best friends and one of the most capable fighters he knew. He'd saved Leif's life several times and that was only the one's they counted. Unfortunately, it was also well known that his friend had a problem with women. Not in that he treated them wrong or anything, but he had difficulty just interacting with them. The main reason being that women were often much craftier that he and in Irise if you were to let up your guard a bit the others were merciless. That was part of the reason that he stayed with this lowly group of soldiers.

Leif scanned the hillside above the village and noticed that as they were leaving several riders were coming over the top of the hill and descending into the town. He passed the word along quietly and the line sped up slightly. They had just about reached Faron Woods when Leif heard the horses behind him. He whistled for the soldiers up ahead to get ready to knock down the tree, but he knew it was going to be a little bit late. So Leif cut one of the extra wagons loose and set it on fire. The horses coming around the bend behind them were well trained, but they were not prepared for the wreckage in front of them. I took a few seconds for the riders to calm down their horses before they continued around the inferno.

It was too late by the time they again caught up to the caravan. The horsemen saw Leif and charged him. Unfortunately for Leif the tree didn't fall as quickly as expected and several of the riders made it past the barricade, while others were not so lucky. Sori, Leif, and Palee along with their friends held the line against the remaining five soldiers. With their back against the wall they had no option but to engage the mercenaries.

Though they outnumbered the invaders by five to one it was a difficult fight. Leif and Palee landed blow after blow onto one of the soldiers who was only killed when they finally severed one of his arteries. The others had difficulties, but still managed. Three of their friends were cut down in the fighting, but the others refused to back down and killed three others until only one remained.

The finally soldier grabbed Sori by her light brown hair and then twisted the sword out of her hand. With his knife against her throat he removed his helmet. "You Irese scum don't know what you're getting into. I'll tell you what though. You let me go and I'll let you have your friend back. If you don't, you'll just have to watch her die on the ground in front of you."

"Don't let the bastard get away. He's a threat to everyone while he still breathes,"

"I've got bad news pal, we don't negotiate with terrorists." Archery in Hyrule was uncommon. The time it took to learn the use of such an instrument at any level of skill was ridiculous. The Irese however, learned the skills at an early age. One particular soldier, Sipes, was an incredible archer. He was a hundred yards away in the crotch of a tree. He fired the arrow high through the top tree branches. The projectile descended only two inches over Sori's head and stuck the assailant in the temple killing him on impact.

Sori shoved the knife away from her neck while the soldier's body slumped to the ground. "Nice shot Sipes."

"Yeah whatever, that was an easy one." The four friends shared a laugh before turning to their dead friends. Ordinarily the soldiers would spend time burying their brothers in arms, but the situation was dire and as a result they decided that the best way to honor their friends was through cremation. They burned the bodies of their fellow soldiers, but left the enemy's corpses as a warning to those coming after them.

The rather large group raced back across Hyrule field as fast as they possibly could. Every person was watching out behind the caravan. All the villagers were quick to thank the soldiers that had evacuated them from the village. Although the mercenaries were being paid they were good hosts. As the morning light rose the people saw the black smoke from the south. The blackest of black rose out of the forest as their village burned to the ground.

Leif made sure to keep the villagers looking toward Castle town even though he knew that they were in trouble. He was no longer worried about making sure that just the villagers were safe. Now he had to think about the entire nation. The problem was that he knew that the Castle was undermanned and he wasn't sure that they would be able to hold back the invaders unless Link and Ilia completed their mission.

"Come on Link, wake up." Colin was finally force to roll the farmhand out of bed. The young man hit the floor and was up in a second. "Link it's time to go." Link nodded and motioned for Colin to leave while he donned his armor. The chainmail was equally effective against archers as it was against swords and he'd been saved several times by it. He slowly made his way outside where he found three horses waiting.

"Link, we're glad you made it. Good luck; we await your safe return." Zelda was trying to distance herself. She knew the things that could go wrong.

"Hey, here's that sheath you asked for. The exact specs, although it appears a bit feminine for you." The swords sheath was indeed very feminine. It had a pink cloth overlay with designs of flowers and plants. It was one of the on the back sheathes like Link, because that's what the designer had assumed he had in mind. Link pulled out the sword he got from the mayors house, sheathed it and handed it lightly to Ilia.

"Thanks. I suppose where we're going I might need this." They shared a smile before Zelda grew impatient.

"Are you guys going or not?"

"We are." Ilia raced ahead nearly knocking the princess over in the process. Link gave Zelda a weak smile before following his friend. Colin followed up the rear with Link's bow Slung over his shoulder. The trio set off toward the Gerudo Desert. Whatever they were going to face, they would meet it head on.

Link looked back toward the Castle and noticed the smoke rising from the sound. The darkness of such a large amount of smoke was reaching out to cover the land. He only hoped Leif had made it in time. The threat ahead of them now loomed over them. If they were unable to complete their mission everyone was doomed. Link looked back toward their destination and set Epona off at a gallop. The other two were caught off guard and raced after him.

I did manage to update the story. What's next? Flying pigs? I wish that I could promise you more, but promises are made to be broken. I do enjoy this series. If only I could play Skyward Sword. Either way Thank you for reading my story. Review. It's nice to hear from the readers, what I'm doing right or doing wrong.

Darkness is engulfing both of our worlds and though times may seem tough just know that you don't have to give up in the face of it. If it seems as though the whole world is against you, go against the world. I truly believe that when you stick up for yourself and what you believe you become a stronger person. There my rant for the chapter. Good luck. Until next time have a great day and God bless.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

I forgot my disclaimer in the last one, so if anyone thinks that I own anything, you're a complete moron and you need to learn to read starting with the first chapter. Of course everyone who's reading this is incredibly intelligent so I doubt that will happen.

If time flies when you're having fun, it hits the afterburners when you don't think you're having enough. Life is one of the things you spend the greatest amount of time doing. Yet for some time is too little, there isn't enough time. Our heroes are trying to buy time, not for themselves but for those that they know. Time doesn't stand still and so our heroes race ever faster toward that which threatens the lives of those they love.

"Quietly, go, go, go." Leif was already annoyed that they hadn't been waiting at the gate for them to return, but when he had to sneak everyone in so that they wouldn't draw attention he got very angry. The young man of twenty always stayed composed, but the things that had occurred to him were forcing him to the edge. They had come only seconds away from being utterly annihilated by the army chasing them. Then when they completed their mission they had to find their own way in.

The castle walls were over twenty feet high and he had to get a rope caught on the wall so that they could climb up and open the gate for everyone else. When they reached the top Leif felt a strange feeling. "You feel it too?" Sori had asked him. They were too busy getting everyone inside to think about what was awry.

When the caravan finished filtering in they shut the gate and locked it again. "Sori, There's something strange going on here and I don't like it."

"Neither do I. I just don't know what it is. They entered the main palace gates and stopped outside. They had hoped Zelda had a place for the civilians. As Sori climbed the steps to the main door Leif saw a statue of armor assembled just outside the hall. He didn't even have time to tell Sori to stop.

Sori only opened the door a few inches when the soldiers came pouring in from all sides. A captain grabbed her wrist and led out even more soldiers from the main hall. At first Leif was certain that the Amerens had taken the castle in their absences, but then he noticed the armor of those arresting them.

"Guys we're on your side, we brought back the villagers from Ordon. Now if we could talk to Zelda about where to have them stay we can get to organizing our defenses."

"Sorry, we were told that the Irese were a danger to the security of Hyrule. From what I see there are only your people here." Leif looked around and noticed that the villagers didn't have the ears and looks of Hylians. He had forgotten that they were from the south of Hyrule. The people of Ordon in fact looked more like them than their allies the Hylians.

"Look, if you can just get the Princess out here she can clear this whole mess up."

"What mess Leif?" Zelda walked down the steps toward him.

"Your soldiers have assumed us to be the enemy. We just made it back from the village."

"There's no mistake Leif. You are mercenaries after all, and mercenaries can be hired by either side."

"We're not mercenaries. We're soldiers looking out for our friends."

"When we first met you called yourself a mercenary."

"That's because I could think of a more appropriate name."

"What would be more appropriate than?" Sweat appeared on Leif's brow as the two leaders faced each other. She was trying to get rid of them, for what reason.

"Why is it that you are trying to get rid of us?"

"Leif, don't avoid the question." His realized that this Princess was a good deal wiser than he had believed. She wasn't always the smartest in the room, but she made the best use of the knowledge she had. Then he noticed the glove on her left hand. It was jeweled and made of elegant cloth. Leif made note of it but was able to not keep his gaze focused on it.

No one in Hyrule wore any sort of glove. Except for those that worked with weapons and for certain occasions, but this was not one of those things. It was time for him to make one of the biggest bluffs of his career and hope that the wisest person in the entire country took the bait.

"Fine, but I did find this map carried by one of the soldiers we had to kill while escaping. I haven't taken a look at it, but I think that it's important." He walked toward her and held out the piece of paper toward her. She was a skilled fighter and if Leif was going to attack her she would be more than a match for the soldier. As she let him closer she was certain that he wasn't going to make an attack on her life, but she wasn't sure what he was trying to do.

Just before he reached her she noticed that the map was in fine condition, it was spotless and just barely sticking out from under Leif's hand was the symbol of their nation. Then she noticed that his gaze had dropped to her hand. Before she could react Leif handed her the map while at the same time smoothly removing the glove from her hand.

The symbol on her hand was more conspicuous that he had realized. The top triangle of a trio of golden triangles glowed brightly against her skin. She covered her wrist, appearing to be ashamed of its presence. Leif wasn't a master of Hylian folklore, but he knew what the symbol meant. The Princess was in possession of the Triforce of Wisdom. That meant that whatever reason that she had for throwing them in the dungeon was a good one.

"So what was your reason for trying to get rid of us again?"

"I was afraid. Afraid of what you could do with what you were asking. Having a ruler in your back pocket is often a trait of those that are corrupt." Zelda managed to choke out, remembering how Ganondorf had taken control of her. Leif was able to make sense of what she was telling them, although not for the same reasons.

"You don't have to give us anything. We were just asking that so that if we were ever in trouble we'd have someone to help us out. A sort of we help you; you help us kind of deal. We don't need you to give us any of your possessions or people or anything, we only want you to have our back."

Zelda wasn't in her right frame of mind after what had occurred over the past few months. Time was beginning to take its toll on her and she was running low on time. Decisions flashed before her at a million miles a second and she was struggling to keep up with them. Now she had yet another decision to make. She knew that Leif had been good on his word to bring back the villagers, but she wasn't sure that he would continue to be this helpful.

Leif watched the princess ponder her options. He knew that the fate of him and his friends hung in the balance and he wasn't a hundred percent sure the Zelda was going to make the right decisions with the information she currently had. Considering their shadowy appearance and the way they had offered to do the deed she need at the time was a bit disconcerting. He looked to Sori who was still being held by the captain of the guard. She could have escaped at any time, but they weren't exactly in the most hospitable atmosphere.

"Zelda, we aren't the most well-known group in the country, but we aren't aggressors. The only reason we came was the appearance of the Amerens. We can leave if you wish, but in truth you need our help, and we'll have to work together or we both lose."

She hated to admit it, but he was right. His face held the serious tone that came to his speech. His dirty blonde hair hung against his forehead while his green eyes met hers. He seemed handsomer than when they had first met some days ago. The green spotted tunic that he and his friends wore was for camouflage of course, but they also showed off the muscle that hid underneath the armor. Was she really considering him attractive? Zelda's features showed no notion of such thought, and she was able to retain her composure until she answered.

"I believe you. I am truly sorry for any trouble I have caused you all. With that way things have been, I am having trouble making decisions as I normally would."

"It is no trouble. We understand your position. A land covered in darkness isn't a very easy place to keep track of."

"How'd you know that?"

"We keep tabs on you guys. The reason you don't have much intel on us is that we don't want you to have any. Before we get into any more questions can you at least find a place for these people?"

"Of course. Oris take these poor souls to the residential district. Have them housed at the local inns. Then have your men build temporary housing for them tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am." The captain apologized to Sori before leading the people and most of the soldiers to where they would be staying.

"So, you have a special band of soldiers?"

"No, I have a special group of friends. Everyone else is a friend, but not as close as these three. This is Sori, Sipes, and Palee."

"A pleasure to meet you, if I hadn't attempted to arrest you."

"We don't have time for all these pleasantries Leif. They're right behind us." Sori said, ignoring the presence of the princess.

"You're right. Take a few of the others and scout the roads. I want them to have the fewest options for troop movement. Sipes, go with her and keep her company. Palee, keep track of the civilians we may need to move if things go bad." The soldiers split off toward their own objectives leaving the two leaders in the courtyard. "I'm sorry about Sori. She hates it when anyone touches her. The guys are pretty good about it, but I don't know about your side."

"It's my fault. I should have been more forward about my reservations and I'm sorry for that. My men are of the greatest character, they aren't the greatest fighters, but they won't do anything that isn't in step with the country."

"Good, and I understand. With the things that happened here I am certain that events have weighed heavily on your shoulders. You can stop apologizing for it, we are actually very understanding. Contrary to some of the rumors that are going around the city."

"I will help to dispel them. They are merely a reflection of the things that I had previously thought. They will understand."

"Good."

"You said something about moving the villagers; you aren't talking about giving up the capital of Hyrule, are you?"

"I said what I meant your majesty. If this place gets overrun they aren't going to be very merciful to us or the villagers. You may get off the hook, but the rest of us have already killed some of their men. Just remember, once the fighting starts, there will be no surrender. You will either fight or you will run. We typically choose to do both. By the way, what makes them so hard to kill?"

"Their armor is a rare variety from the west. It is made from a single quarry in the mountains. South of that quarry is a temple that houses a mystical gem. It powers the metal from the mountain and makes it nearly impenetrable to anything. The fact that you have survived makes me think that you didn't face their elite forces."

"We did. One of the things I made sure to tell my soldiers though was to only go for the holes in the armor, and we manage to survive with minimal casualties."

"Good, we are going to need as many soldiers as possible."

"Time is of the essence then, your majesty. We should gather your military leaders and meet my team when they return."

"Of course. You may use the room down the hall on the right to freshen up. I will gather my advisors; we will meet you at the local tavern."

"I know the one. Thank you, your majesty." He took her hand and kissed it before spinning on his heels and entering the castle.

"He's quite the gentleman for being a rogue." She stared at her hand before heading off to find her advisors.

Ilia admired the locket that Link had given her when they stopped. It was from her father and inside was a picture of her mother and her when she was very small. The other half of the picture was removed but she could tell that it was once her father from the size of the arm still in the picture.

"Thanks, Link."

"You're welcome." She admired the other gift her father had left her. It was a sword, made of some strange metal that she didn't recognize. It shone in the light and she twisted it in her hand. Link watched her play with it for a few seconds before drawing his own weapon.

"They are amazingly well made pieces, aren't they?" She looked up to see Link swing at her to which she made a halfhearted attempt to block. Before she knew what was happening Link had already brought his sword back for another attack. The strike caught the sword and flung it out of her hands and into the dirt several feet away. She felt the point of Link's sword at her chin and looked up in fear.

"These aren't art to be admired. They're tools for defending yourself."

"I'm sorry. I was just admiring the craftsmanship. It was a really well made sword."

"I know, but it's more about the one using it than the sword itself." Ilia now understood that he wasn't trying to make a fool of her, but to make a point. She wasn't trained to use a sword and they were heading to fight an army that hadn't ever been defeated. Colin had a bow that was made in Hyrule, Link had basically mastered any weapon, yet she didn't know how to use any of them.

Link kicked her sword back to her. She picked it up and stood to face the green clad warrior. There was no emotion in his eyes, at least none that she could see. "He appears to be hard and emotionless. I guess you have to be, when you're fighting all the monsters he did." She thought to herself.

Link wasn't going to let her stand around and ponder the world forever. They were low on time and she had a lot to learn. He rushed forward and lunged out at her side. She parried the attack, but he was quick to swing at her legs after her defensive move. She wasn't able to move fast enough and Link turned his sword so that it only struck her.

"Owww. That hurts."

"If it wasn't me, you wouldn't have a leg." Link managed to say. "Am I really turning into a heartless teacher? No, it must be done. It's for the best that she learn this." Link thought to himself. Link was upon her again in an instant swinging with a fury that made Ilia wonder if he wasn't really trying to kill her. She maneuvered her sword to block his first attack and then his second. This time it took Link a bit longer to break through her defenses, but he did. This time he struck her on the side.

She was starting to get angry at the teen's attacks. She understood that he wanted to train her, but she didn't even know the basics. After a few more welts had been added to her first two she started on the offensive. A quick burst of speed allowed her to knock Link back off his footing. From there she knocked his sword to the side and hit him with a quick swing to the arm. She had however, not turned her blade and struck him with the blade.

Link's arm was shocked with pain as her sword contacted the upper part of his arm. His armor managed to stop the worst of the blow, but it still left a menacing pain in his arm. Ilia looked at him in pure horror.

"I'm sorry Link I was just angry and I'm not as good of a swordfighter as you."

"Why are you sorry? It was a good hit." The youth managed a smile and reminded himself to sharpen Ilia's sword before they go in an actual fight. He shook off the pain and engaged her again. Many bruises and over two hours later they met in a clash. Their swords interlocked and stuck together. Ilia had both hands on hers just to keep Link from over powering her.

"I can't believe that you're this strong."

"Lots of practiced." Link said winking at her. Link noticed her sadness from not being able to beat him and smiled. He grabbed her wrists with his other hand and shoved the swords down to the side. He leaned forward and kissed her soft lips. She was surprised by the sudden act, but offered no resistance and returned the kiss after a second. When they broke apart Link whispered in her ear. "You're doing fine for having never used a sword before. Just keep working at it you'll be fine."

"Can you keep the kissing to yourselves guys? I know that you guys are kind of together now, but still I'm only ten." The two teenagers laughed as they had forgotten that the younger child was still with them because he had been silently watching.

"I think I'll do what I want." Link teased him and kissed Ilia again.

"Ewww. I'm gonna get a head start if you two are going to be like that." Colin climbed onto the horse he had been lent and started to ride toward their objective.

The two of them walked back to their horses to follow the youth. Link hopped on the Hyrulian's horse and waited for Ilia to get on Epona. "Link, she's your horse."

"She likes you better. Besides she'll enjoy not having to carry as much." Ilia hesitantly climbed onto the saddle and start Epona after Colin. Link chased her and the trio started across the desert.

Now the mountains separating the nation of Hyrule from Amera were some of the largest in the entire world. Death Mountain was the only mountain that was any higher, and it was only one mountain. These white-capped beasts were entirely different. Much like Snowpeak these mountains were topped by snow and were always thirty degrees cooler at the peak than at the base. Our heroes saw the towering mountains from miles away and it didn't help alleviate any of their fear.

"How far through the mountains do you thing we have to go?" Colin asked while staring at the range.

"Let's get there first, and then we'll think about that." Link had a method for accomplishing tasks. Take everything one step at a time. After all the whole purpose of time was so that everything didn't happen at once. Their problem was that even though they had time. The people of Hyrule did not. Every second they wasted was a second the invaders got closer to taking over their country.

The three young souls rode across the last few miles of the desert until they reached the base of the mountains. Now the mountains that had looked large from miles away appeared even larger. The rocky terrain looked very treacherous and was marked with strange tracks.

"We should camp here tonight. It's going to be colder the farther we go and we don't know what's up there." Ilia suggested. She didn't look like the adventuring type, but from what she had heard of the adventures her father had things were difficult. She had heard that the mountains were home to several large beasts and that the mountain range made it hard to fight in the thinner air. Link was impressed. He did want to continue on, but knowing that he had the other two with him he decided that she was right. "Link you should get some fire wood. Colin, unpack your things and let the horses get some rest. I'll go look for some water."

She was beginning to surprise Link at every turn. She seemed like she knew more about this than Link did. He smiled at her before heading off in search of the fuel for their fire. It wasn't long before he wandered across a grove of trees only a little south of their camp. Sticks already cluttered the ground and there was a tree that was bared an unknown fruit. He admired the foliage and started to collect the wood for their fire.

It didn't take long for Link to gather all of the wood he needed. They didn't need a large fire and they would be fine for the night. As he bent over to grab one final stick he noticed a footprint. They were somewhat large and looked to be human. As he looked closer he noticed that there were several sets, not only that, but as he examined the area he found a several piles of ashes and what looked to be horse tracks.

Bandits. He knew from how the bulbins conducted their business that these guys weren't going to be friendly. Not only that but he was sure that they had noticed the three of them coming toward the mountain range. Link dropped the sticks and ran back toward their campsite.

The sun was just beginning to set on the other side of the mountains. The shadow of the mountains engulfed their campsite in darkness. Though they could still see, it was becoming difficult to see. Colin had finished unpacking their stuff and sat down next to their supplies. He leaned up against their packs and stared back towards home.

His parents would be scared out of their mind if they knew where he was and what he was doing. He started to shut his eyes when he noticed motion out on the desert. At first he assumed that it was some kind of mirage, but as he looked he noticed that there were several riders headed towards him. Seven in all and they didn't look very friendly.

He withdrew his bow from their things and knocked an arrow. They were still out of range, but he figured he send a warning shot. The arrow whistle through the air and impacted the dirt a few hundred yards short of the riders. They apparently assumed that he was a bad shot because they continued on their path.

Colin wasn't a complete moron, and given the opportunity he would have run away from them, but there was no way he would be able to escape the riders. He aimed another arrow at the riders; this time when they were within a hundred yards he fired his first attempt on the bandits. He knew not to aim for the head because it was a difficult shot. His first arrow struck the second rider in the abdomen. The arrow knocked him back and he fell off of his horse. The bandits continued to race after the youth who was alone in the middle of the nowhere.

Colin's second arrow hit the first of the riders in the chest. He slumped forward onto the neck of his horse. The other five riders rode in and swung at the child. He dove out of the way at the last second and escaped harm, but his bow flew out of his hands and landed at the feet of one of the riders who had dismounted.

"You're pretty good for a kid. I'd want to say that your friends were shooting at us, but I know only one of them has a bow and he is pretty far away now isn't he. Now how about you just calmly give up so that this doesn't hurt as much." The five remaining riders encircled the youth and slowly closed in on him. Just before the nearest one got to him they heard someone coming through the brush.

Ilia had managed to get all the water they would need and was walking back when she heard the noise up ahead. She assumed that Link had already made it back and was fighting with Colin, but when she broke into the clearing there were five people she had never seen before. The nearest one started toward her with his sword drawn.

She set down the water she was carrying and drew her own weapon. "Hey, you aren't going to get beat by a girl are you, we don't want to have to save you."

"Don't worry she's not a swordsman." The bandit lashed out at her with and overly earnest swing and for it. She blocked his sword to the side and gave him a cut across his right cheek. "Think you're good stuff?" The bandit attacked again, this time a little bit more cautiously. She swung with a low sideways cut which she easily blocked and she followed it with a high slash. He ducked the swing and came back with a quick stab.

She managed to deflect it to the side and took a swing at the man's wrist, but she caught his guard. The two of them exchanged blows like this for over an hour. Finally due to Ilia's lack of endurance with the weapon the bandit got the upper hand. He blocked her attack to his side and gave her a thin cut on her cheek, then while she was still off balance he swung down and cut her leg. She collapsed as her leg gave out. The bandit kicked her sword away before she could make another move.

"Well now we match, don't we? I think we'd be able to make good use of both these two for their trouble, don't you." There was a rumble of agreement from the other bandits. He picked up the girl and was about to start rummaging through her stuff when Link burst from the brush. "We'll buddy; your friends could have used you a minute ago. Now it looks like you're out of luck. Boys kill him." The leader of the bandits grabbed Ilia and another bandit held Colin back while the other three advanced on Link.

The three bandits knew that their numbers were an advantage and encircled the teen. Link watched them and made sure that none of them did anything he wasn't expecting. Link had his sword held behind him and his shield held sideways in front of him in what the bandits assumed was the dumbest combat style they had ever seen. The bandit directly in front of him feinted while the two behind him went in for the attack. Link had foreseen the move and now put his plan in motion. He went into what could only be described as the most incredible spinning slash ever seen. The bandit in front of him was unfortunately close enough to catch Link's blade in the face.

As he crumpled Link was still spinning. His shield blocked the two swordsmen's blades behind him. Their swords were swept to the side and the realization hit them just before they were met with Link's blade. The three bodies hit the ground nearly simultaneously. Before the other two knew what had happened Link had dropped his sword and shield and drew his bow. He knocked an arrow in an instant and had an arrow through the man holding Ilia's face in under a second.

The second man shoved Colin forward onto Link and ran off into the night. Link caught the child and steadied him. "Are you alright?" Colin nodded barely able to comprehend what had just happened. "Ilia, are you alright?" Link asked running over to steady her. She collapsed to the ground in shock. Link for the first time noticed the gash on her leg. He took some of the cloth they had in their supplies and laid it next to her. "Colin, get me that water."

The boy ran to the water Ilia had brought and dragged it down to Link. Link cleaned the wound and wiped away the dirt with some of the cloth. Then he took another piece and wrapped it around her leg. It was tight enough to put pressure on it, but not enough to cut off circulation. He took one of the cups they had brought and got her some water to drink.

"Drink." He commanded her and she drank the water he gave her. Although it was enough to cool her throat and rehydrate her it also ended her shock and the pain of the wound hit her. Link wrapped her in his arms as tears rolled down her face and over the cut on her face. Link softly wiped away the blood on her face while kissing her head. "It's gonna be alright. I've got you, I've got you." He whispered to her. Though his words couldn't take away her pain, only time could do that, it helped too know someone was there with her.

Colin set up the camp alone. He set out their blankets to sleep on and managed to get a fire started with the little firewood in the nearby area. Link carried his injured friend over to the makeshift bed and set her down softly. "Colin, get some rest, you'll need it." The young boy did as he was told and fell asleep quickly. Link sat and watched the night and his two friends. Ilia found sleep after several hours and with it she got much needed rest. Link watched silently and waited. Tomorrow morning would come and they would have to move quickly, to stay on time.

The council of advisors had been set up for some time. They were only waiting on Leif who was running a bit late. The door opened and Leif walked in. Zelda watched the seemingly unsophisticated man pull on his shirt. She had gotten a good look at his chest and stomach and even though she didn't want to admit it she liked what she saw. Leif then threw on a green tunic; similar to Link's only in color.

Zelda noticed that he had a necklace that was hanging around his neck. "What's that?"

"A present from my mother, before she left." He tucked the jewelry under his shirt and walked to the table where they had numerous maps and troop positions.

"Alright now that we are all here, General Provis can you give us a status update?"

"Yes milady. We have a contingent in Kakariko Village. I can send for them to return. Then we also…"

"No."

"I'm sorry." The general turned to Leif who held his ground.

"Leave the soldiers where they are. Whether we have two hundred or two hundred fifty it won't matter. They are needed where they are. Send a message to tell the Gorons of the coming attack."

"Your majesty?"

"Do as he says. He's right we don't have enough men to hold this position either way. Please continue with the report."

"The Zoras have reported no motion coming from their end, but they have offered to assist as best they can considering what they are. We have a group to the north to make sure that none of them try to sneak around over Snowpeak."

"Good. Well gentlemen, we have to put all options on the table. There are too many things that could go wrong. We need to buy time for Link."

"Well we're going after Link tonight, but I think that you are going to have to at least consider hitting them pre-emptively. They won't expect it, but you have to hit them without them knowing."

"That's a good plan they don't have any spies here or I would know about them." Leif added. "I know that they aren't much for espionage considering the strength of their army. Their last conflict was against us and they weren't able to beat us because we were able to hide. That's why I wouldn't ever neglect the plan to give up the castle. Just remember if we let them surround us we will be out of options."

"We understand your input sir, but we've already given up the castle once recently, it would kill morale to give it up again."

"With all due respect if we were to stay here we wouldn't have any soldiers left to keep up morale. I'm not saying that we should leave now, but I do suggest relocating all of the citizens to somewhere safe."

"Where? There isn't a single place that we could hide our people and keep them protected.

"I understand that there is a group of soldiers in Kakariko Village and that you have a good relationship with the Gorons. I suggest moving most of the civilians to the valley."

"What do you mean most?"

"Not all of the civilians can fit in that valley general. I think that it's best that we have some of them remain here to help us with the maintenance of the defense until we are forced to evacuate."

"You say it like it's inevitable. We won't have to give up this city because we will defeat them. There isn't a strong enough army to face us." Leif was tired of the general's useless remarks. He walked up to him and leaned in until his face was only a few inches from the soldier's face.

"I've watch soldier after soldier die, not because they were bad soldiers, but because these guys cannot be hurt. Unless you hit them in places where their armor isn't it won't even hurt them. The only place that this is true is the openings in the helmets. Their armor is smooth and molds to their movements. If we weren't fighting them with numbers ten to one we would not have escaped Ordon. The reason we only lost three is that we had enough people to simply hold them down so that we could stab them in the face. I don't have time to debate whether or not we will hold this position, because unless those three complete their mission, we are done. The only thing we are doing here is buying time, and frankly time is very expensive. I don't want to have more casualties than necessary. Do you understand?"

The fear on the general's face was easily seen. It wasn't as much what he had said as how he had said it. Leif finally backed away from the Hylian who inhaled for the first time. "I understand."

"Leif, relax you don't need to make it worse for him. Provis can…" The door to the tavern burst open and an older man walked in. His face showed of age and tiredness. He was obviously under stress and the members of the Resistance knew why.

"Where is he?"

"Who?" Leif had no idea who the man in front of him was.

"He's with Link."

"So then he's safe?"

"Yes, He's fine. Link is a capable young man. He went to go get us help against the Amerens."

"Where have they gone? I'm going after them."

"Wait, Rusl, your friends are going too. They leave in the morning, just get some rest."

"Oh, alright. If anything has happened to my son, it's on your head." Rusl pointed at the princess and she knew that he meant every word. The villager looked at the map for a second and then walked back out the door.

"Hey, Shad, you might want to take your team and leave tonight."

"Why's that?"

"Because if you don't Rusl is going to leave without you."

"No, he's rash, but he's not going to run off without us." Leif pointed at the map which, had charted the way Link was going and then pointed out the window. As if on cue a horse rode up to the man with his supplies and he climbed on its back.

"Alright, we're heading out, good luck." The members of the resistance sprinted out the door so that they could at least get Rusl to wait for them.

"How'd you know he was going to leave without them? After all he has a wife and child here to think about."

"He already talked to his wife, who was just as worried as him. She convinced him to go."

"How do you know this?" Leif held up a folded note that he had received from one of his contacts.

"You know that I am deeply distraught at the amount of intelligence gathering you are capable of in my country."

"Good. We have a lot of other things to worry about at present so it would be best if you thought of something that was of less stress. We'll find a place to rest."

"You can stay at the castle. We would appreciate the company of the visitors from Irise." What was she saying? She had no idea what he could do and she was inviting him to stay with her and her servants that night.

"Are you sure? I mean after all we are a bit of an uncivilized bunch." Tell him no, tell him no .

"Of course. I would love the company of some of the more adventurous people." She said. "Dang it. Why am I doing this to myself?" She thought. Unfortunately she also knew that everything she had said was true. She really did like to talk to adventurers, mainly Link, but Leif had similar qualities yet of a more outspoken variety. She dismissed her advisors and walked with Leif through the city. When they reached the temporary residence of Leif and his men, she left him.

"Isn't there something you want to say?"

"What is he talking about I don't have anything to say." She pondered what he could mean by that. He couldn't possibly believe that she had any sort of feelings for him, and she was very good at masking her emotions.

"Good night." He called out to her. She did have a problem with overthinking things though. She smile and returned the pleasantry before head back to her home.

"Link. Are you sure? I mean we don't have a good way up the mountain. Perhaps it would be better to go around?"

"No." Link looked up the mountain, his face showed of stern resolve. The only way that they could make it to their destination in time was over the mountains. He'd checked the map several times. They would have mountains for several miles and then they would reach the temple, and who knows what would happen then.

"I'll follow you Link. You haven't ever led us wrong before." Colin mustered as much of a smile as he could. They had a long way to go and Link could tell that the boy was already getting fatigued. He smiled and nodded showing his appreciation. Then he turned to his young lady and picked her up. He carried Ilia to Epona and set her on the horse's back. Colin managed to climb aboard his steed as well and they headed off up the steep grade.

Horses and mountains were not usually a good combination. Typically Hylian horses were more used to flat terrain where they could use their speed, but they didn't have a lot else they could do. So they rode the horses to the top of the first mountain. The travel was tough and several times they had to back track to get a little bit higher up. When they finally reached the top of the mountain it was already midday.

"Link, I don't think we are going to be able to get through the mountains at this rate." Ilia observed. Link decided that they should rest while he thought of a solution. The trio paused at the top of the mountain to rest. As Link scanned the valley below them he noticed something that he wasn't prepared for. It was obviously a tunnel, but it had markings that seemed to signify more. Either way he was determined that they reach the other side of the range as quickly as possible. He pointed out the location to his friends who both agreed that the tunnel was probably the best place for them to go.

When they reached the bottom of the mountain it was dark, not because it was late, but because the mountains block all of the sun from reaching the valley floor. The entrance was marked with a large overhanging archway. On the front of the arch was a message.

"These mountains are home to monsters unknown. Things that are large with the time they have grown."

"Well it looks like it isn't going to be very easy going through this place."

"We don't have a choice." Link led his horse forward. Colin followed up the rear while Ilia rode on Epona while her wound recovered. The tunnel was very large and looked like an entire army could have walked through it. "If they had known about this Hyrule would already be overrun." Link thought to himself. As they walked down the dark hallway Link noticed several doors on either side, each of them with a different structure.

"Link are you sure that this place leads us through the mountains." Colin asked.

"No." Link answered without thinking. They walked for several hours until they reached what appeared to be a giant door.

"Link. It doesn't have any handles or knobs, I don't think that we can open it." Ilia pointed out. Sure enough the large door lacked any visible way to open it. To the heroes' right was a door. They all seemed to notice because Colin and Ilia dismounted their steeds and walked over to it.

"This way out."

"I think this is the way out." Colin said as he read the markings.

"No, it's a dungeon. At the end will be the mechanism to open the door." Link said almost certain that was what was hidden behind the door. Link slowly walked to the foreign entrance and turned the handle. The door slid open and it unveiled a room that was larger than the entire capital of Hyrule. The cavern was very spacious and Link knew at once that he was going on a treasure hunt. There were several lock doors and they all needed a key. On the opposite side of the cavern was a large door that definitely led to the mechanism.

The floor was wet from the waterfall that cascaded down the side of the cavern. In some areas there were pools of water and moss and mold. The most intimidating fact though was the group of soldiers standing in front of them. Three of the Amerens stood before them clad in their strange armor. They hadn't noticed the entrance of the heroes and continued debating their predicament.

"The boss said that we had to get some strange orb from behind that door over there, but I don't see a way for us to get over there."

"Maybe if we were to throw you you'd make it."

"Yeah right. I think that if we take this path over here though it'll take us down to somewhere that will help us get through." The soldiers carefully walked down the small side path to the bottom of the cavern.

"Link, I don't think that they are going to help us in here." Ilia whispered. Link nodded and looked around for anything that could be of use to the group. He noticed that a section of the wall leading to an open door was covered with vines. He motioned for them to stay there. Link climbed onto the vines and began to climb along the wall across the chasm. Colin watched in amazement as his hero climbed quickly across the vines and made it to the door on the other side. Link opened the door and went inside.

Leaving the other two behind was not something he particularly wanted to do, but with Ilia's injuries he wasn't confident in her ability to navigate some of the traps that were obviously planted in the dungeon. As he enter the room he noticed two things; one the room only had one entrance, the one he came through, the second thing was that steel poles now blocked his exit. Several large blobs of goo drop from the ceiling. One being yellow, one red, and one blue. His first instinct was to swing at the closest one which happened to be yellow. As soon as his sword made contact with the goo he felt a jolt of electricity zap his arm. He withdrew as he attempted to come up with a solution.

He then swung at the blue one which unfortunately froze him for a few seconds. After several seconds of trying to assess the situation he finally came to a conclusion of how to beat the weird goo monsters. He positioned himself behind the blue one and with a smack of his shield he backed the creature into the yellow one. The yellow goo froze from the contact with the blue one, and then Link brought down a heavy overhead slash breaking the goo into a million tiny pieces.

For the ice goo he knocked the red goo onto the blue one. This time though the two goos meshed and as they did they evaporated into water vapor. Link shielded his eyes as the vapor passed around him, when he reopened his eyes the door was unlocked and there was a chest at the other end of the room. He kicked open the small chest to find a key. "Just like old times" he thought to himself. When he opened the door and walked back to the previous room and found the three soldiers had climbed back up the slope, presumably because they had found nothing.

Link sheathed he sword and started climbing across the vines to get back to the other side to help his friends. He was halfway across when the soldiers noticed him. One of them ran to the vines and hacked at the pieces holding him to the wall. With a snap the vines gave way and fell. The ropelike plant swung down and away from the ledge. It finally broke loose from the other side when it as at the bottom of its arc. The momentum carried Link onto the ledge below where he rolled to a stop.

"Link!" He heard a voice calling from above him. His head hurt from the impact and he felt a wave of black wash over him.

Colin and Ilia had hidden in an alcove just inside the entrance. They saw the soldiers walk over to cut Link down. The two of them were slow to react and they watched their friend tumble down. In anger Colin had rushed the soldiers on the edge and knocked two of them off the cliff and they tumbled into the abyss. The third soldiers turned to face the youth who had sent his friends off the edge but before he could draw his sword Ilia blindsided him off the edge as well.

The two friends saw Link unconscious on the ledge below glad that he was alright, but they noticed that he had a large gash on his head and he was bleeding quite heavily.

"Quick, we don't have a lot of time." The two of them climbed down the path that the soldiers had taken. They could only hope the soldiers had missed something. When they reached the level below they found nothing that could be of use to them. With time running out for their friend Colin became frustrated. He swung at the wall and by mistake hit a switch that had been covered in moss. They heard a whirring sound from below and suddenly a bridge appeared from below and made a path across the chasm. They ran across the bridge and around the edge to where Link laid unconscious. Ilia pulled out one of the red potions that they had brought with them.

Link had wanted to use one when she cut her leg, but she told him that she would recover quickly enough and that they should save them for a more serious injury. She made him drink the potion which went to work quickly enough. The gash on Link's head mended itself and closed. Link's eyes fluttered and opened.

"How do you feel?"

"Headache." He responded. His head hurt quite a bit and so they sat for a second before helping him to his feet. He led them to the door that had been on the other side of the chasm. It was open and Link helped them to open the door. Inside was a long hallway. It was dark and wet and seemed like it could have gone on forever. They heard some sort of machinery warming up and suddenly a rather large cart appeared in front of them.

Link lifted Colin into the vehicle and then helped Ilia in as well. He climbed onto the edge and the other two dragged him into the cart. Link noticed that they were on a track that led toward the other end of the tunnel. As he sat down he leaned against a lever. The second it switched the cart rocketed down the hallway. The speed with which they rode nearly caused Link's hat to come flying off.

They reached the other side of the hallway in a matter of seconds. They were thankful that the cart had been fast enough to get them to the other end quickly, but unfortunately they were not grateful for what awaited them at the end of the tunnel. The end of the hallway also came with an abrupt drop off. The cart stopped at the end of the hallway and flung them off the cliff and they fell down into a dark hole.

Game Over. Continue?

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Just kidding. The three friends fell through the air for what seemed like a few minutes, but was actually only a few seconds. Their yells echoed in the cavern before they hit the water that was at the bottom of the hole. The current sucked them deeper down and they travelled through twists and turns. They were thrown against the side of the underwater tunnel. They were carried for through several turns and for what seemed like forever, just before they ran out of air they were thrown from the water and careened along the floor of a metal room.

Before them was a room unlike any they had ever seen. Machinery and metalworking surrounded the room. Link coughed out some of the water that had gotten in his mouth and stood. Ilia and Colin did likewise. "Link, where are we?"

"Where are you? You are in the laboratory of Dr. Rihten. The most experienced inventor in all of these Brien Mountains." Cackled a voice that echoed around the room. "The real question dearie is who are you?"

"I'm Ilia and these are my friends Link and Colin." She answered the voice.

"They are a couple of silly looking individuals if you ask me. I mean who wears this green. It's an absolutely atrocious color." Link felt someone grab him. He turned away and drew his sword. Behind him was an old gentleman easily into his seventies. He had a strange monocle like construct over his right eye. He wore a strange helmet that obviously contained some sort of light mechanism and he wore what looked to be miner's clothes. "Hehehe jumpy are we?"

"What are you doing here?" Ilia asked, intrigued by the older man's appearance.

"I am the inventor of all that you see here. Though this is the first time anyone has ever made it down here. More importantly though, what are you doing here. You aren't from that country to the west are you? They are spooky guys."

"No, we're here to get rid of them." Colin replied.

"Good, although I don't think a midget like you is going to do much good." Colin kicked the old man in the shin. "Owwww. Point taken. The problem is those damn sets of armor. They are impenetrable. Plus the older ones have the swords that can cut through anything. The only way to lessen their power is to open the Temple at Sarje. Unless one of you happens to know of Bo the Sage you're out of luck. Bo's been gone for quite a while too. He was the only one who ever stopped by." The old man stopped and reminisced about days long before the three visitors had been born.

"I'm his daughter." The inventor looked at her with much more inquiry than before. She was very much different than Bo, but at the same time very much the same. Her tenacity stuck him as very similar, but more importantly was that twinkle in her eye.

"So I take it the Amerens are looking to take over whatever country Bo fled to?" Link nodded. "Then you should know that in order to open the temple it takes a few things. There are three shiny rocks scattered throughout this mountain range their hiding places are protected so I will have to give you a map to find them. One of the three is here though, deep in the mountain. After you have gathered the rocks, you," He laughed and pointed at Ilia to emphasize his point, "must go to the entrance of temple. The only way to open it will be by placing the three stones in their places and by having the current sage enter the room. No one can help her."

"Why not?" Link asked very wary of the things that Ilia could face.

"Anyone who is not a sage is killed by a force that we don't understand. Hehehe. Once through you will have to face several trials and after completing them all, I presume that you are trying to stop the Ameren's power, you must smash the crystal in the main room."

"Then what?" Ilia thought that his story ended rather abruptly.

"Then the crystal breaks into a lot of pieces because you smashed it. I don't know. Bo never had to smash the crystal so we have no idea what happens after the crystal is destroyed."

"It is of no consequence. Link let's go, we have to get the stone quickly. The Amerens are already in Hyrule." Colin said, tugging at Link's tunic.

"I will protect your friend." The crazy inventor promised. "Here I have some things to help you in the dungeon." Rihten grabbed some things off of his bench and handed them to Link. "The map will help you to get around. It shows the location of everything in the dungeon. The second object is a shield made entirely of the metal of the Ameren's armor. Armenium. Be creative it has many uses so if you want you can go sledding on it. Great fun."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Good luck." Ilia waved after them. The two adventurers opened the door back out to the dungeon. It was perhaps the lowest point in the dungeon. Above them was the entrance they had come in from and it was a hundred feet up.

"Well where do we go from here Link?" Link pointed toward the locked door in front of them. He walked to the door and inserted the key into the keyhole. The chains fell slack and landed on the floor. Link opened the door and Colin followed him. Inside the room was noting of interest. The empty room showed nothing but gears and cogs.

The two friends walked around the room looking for a clue as to where they should go. They walked around the entire room before bumping into each other on the other side.

"Did you find anything Link?" Link shook his head. All he had found was what looked like a door, but was entirely sealed, with no way to open it. "Why can't we ever get anything done quickly?" Colin punched the cogs in front of them. It was in this way that he discovered what they had to do.

Colin noticed that none of the gears in front of them touched, and one of them was spinning all by itself. They hadn't passed any doors or treasure chest on the way in so there was nowhere that they could find a cog to fit in the gears. Link noticed the young man's excitement when he examined the gears and was also intrigued. Link did have one thing Colin didn't.

Link pulled out the shield that the inventor had given them earlier. He aligned it so that the edges of the shield lined up with the other pieces and stuck it into the machine/wall. The gears twisted and spun and the shield went with them. After several seconds a loud crash was heard and Colin yanked the shield out so that it wouldn't be damaged.

"Whew. We could have broken it. What was that noise anyway?" Link turned around to the "door" he had noticed earlier. In its place was a large puzzle. It looked to be the picture of several mountains, but it was jumbled up into many different pieces. Link attempted to solve it, but the pieces always ended up in the same spot.

"I've got it Link." Colin moved the hero out of the way and started shifting the pieces of the puzzle. To Link it looked like he was just making it even more screwed up. After a couple of minutes though Colin had made a picturesque looking scene, it showed them the mountains that they were in from a birds eye perspective.

The puzzle glowed and then formed together removing the edges. The picture materialized in front of them and dropped to the floor. The two adventurers picked it up to discover that it had the locations of all the gems that they had to acquire. It even showed their location on the map. "Well this should be handy, eh Link. I'll hold onto it." Colin shoved the map into his bag and they turned back to the wall. Where the puzzle had been was now an open door. "Come on Link. I don't have time to wait around for you."

The youth pulled the green clad warrior into the next room. It wasn't very large, but it looked pretty well decorated. As they walked in the door shut behind them and locked. Several machinelike creatures came out of holes in the wall. There were three of them. Each of them started throwing giant metal balls at the two of them. They ran around dodging the metal balls of death, but the machines would pick them up and throw them again.

They finally cornered the two and threw their weapons. Link saved them as much by reaction than by anything else. He placed the shield between them and the machines. The three metal balls rebounded of the shield right back at the machines. It knocked them over and gave Link and Colin enough time to destroy the power core of two of the machines, but the third managed to get back up.

It took the pieces of the other two upon itself and morphed into a much larger threat. The behemoth wielded a giant hammer and faced the two friends. Link motioned for Colin to get behind it. He brought up the shield they had been given and used it to deflect the first blow by the giant. He had to roll out of the way to dodge the second one. The third nearly got him but the shield got jammed into the floor and the hammer rebounded of the metal and didn't squish our good friend.

Colin had managed to get behind the monster, but there was no way to get inside to destroy the core. He kept seeing flickers of it, but never could get a clean shot. When the beast hit the shield and rebounded there was a split second opening and Colin took it. The arrow flew cleanly and straight on target. It tipped of the edge of a piece, but still managed to find its target. "Wooh," Colin managed to get a little celebration before he noticed the core glow bright red and then explode. The pieces of the machine flew in all directions. He felt an arm wrap around his waist and he was thrown to the floor. Everything went black.

"Well, little lady, how are you enjoying your trip so far."

"It's not exactly what I'd hoped."

"I thought this is what you'd dreamed of doing."

"How'd you…"

"Illy, I remember when I was your dad's friend many years ago. I always wanted to go on adventures with him and I never got to, well when I finally did get to go with him I nearly died from a sabertooth cat." He showed Ilia the scar he had on his right side. "I nearly gave up right then and there, but your dad told me that adventures were not something for fun and excitement. Not that you can't enjoy them, but that it's something you do out of necessity."

"That's a lot like what Link said."

"He's a crazy one, him. Let's go watch him shall we?"

"What?"

"I have these things that allow me to see what they're doing, come on." The inventor led Ilia to his control room. "Here is where I control the entire dungeon from. I can make it do anything I want it to."

"Why didn't you just let them go grab the stone and we'd be done with it?"

"I didn't think of that. Oh well, it's more entertaining to watch them fight." He turned on his monitors and they saw Link fighting the giant machine. "Oh goody, my machines have learned. Let's see how it does versus them." They watched as Link struggled to fight the metal beast. Then it switched screens to show Colin. They saw him shoot the core and then it exploded, destroying the cameras. Ilia turned away from the carnage.

"Well I suppose we can send them up to fight the Guardian now."

"What do you mean? For all we know their dead. You're too much of a loon to even consider the consequences of what you've done."

"No, I'm not crazy enough. You see in order for them to even make it to the temple they'll have to face things more vicious than this. We've stored things to help you along the way, but you still have to face the Guardians and they aren't friendly. SO you see this is just training."

"But they could be killed."

"Entirely better to train under high pressure stakes, eh." The inventor laughed and started to talk into his speaker."

"Link? Link can you hear me?" Colin coughed as the dust settled in the room. He blinked to clear his eyes when he noticed the fighter was on top of him. "Link, wake up, Link" Colin shook him. Link didn't move and if Colin wasn't observant he wouldn't have noticed Link's shallow breathing.

"Hehehe, you have bested my machines, good work. Now you must face the Guardian in order to obtain the Tiere stone. I'm sending you guys up with the elevator now. If you're still alive, good luck." The inventor stopped talking and the room shook as it ascended toward the upper levels. At least they knew why the room was so small now.

"Owwwww." Link rubbed his head as he shook off his pains.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." In reality Link was far from ok. He had broken his shield arm, the right, and had two broken ribs which hurt more than anything he had felt in recent memory. He slowly got to his feet and pain shot through his body as the injuries took their toll.

"Link, I don't think you're in any condition to fight."

"I'm good." Link stumbled to the door which had slid open to reveal the door to the guardian. The key to the door was in the chest where the machine had been. Colin grabbed the key and ran to catch up with Link who was searching through pots at the entrance.

"What are you looking for?" Link ignored him for a second before he found what he was looking for. Colin watched Link go through the pots to find a fairy. The fairy circled him several times and Link looked much better. "Fairies can heal most injuries."

"That's good to know." Colin made a mental note to remember that. Link walked over to the door and waited for Colin. "Oh, yeah, sorry." The youth put the key in the hole and turned it. The door slid open with a screech.

"Are you ready Colin?"

"As I'll ever be." Colin smiled meekly at Link and the two of them walked into the Guardian's chamber."

You will face challenges, no matter who you are, where you are, or what is going on. In the words of John F. Kennedy, "don't pray for easier lives, Pray to be stronger men/women." Often we forget that the things that we are doing today have a greater impact on the days of tomorrow. Take the time today to face up to what you're fighting. Unlike our heroes you have the luxury of time with which you can make things better.

I wish you all a good day and best of luck. God Bless.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Milady. The enemy is at the gate. They are asking that we surrender."

"Tell them they will get no such pleasure from us. We will resist them no matter the cost."

"As you wish." The messenger scurried from the room leaving the circle of advisors alone to think.

"I think we should begin stationing people on the wall."

"Why so early? There is time before they attack."

"I know, but if we put on a show, we may be able to delay them and buy ourselves some time. We don't know how long that Link and his friends are going to take, so it will best if we can buy as much time as possible."

"I agree, General. With their capabilities it would be best that we don't engage them unless completely necessary." The council surrounded the map they had on the table. They had several statuettes marking large groupings of troops. Zelda pointed to the nearest one. "This is their advance army. Reports indicate that they will be moving into position and then pestering us until the main force arrives. They will attempt to discover our weaknesses. We won't have any."

"If I may, your majesty, may I suggest that we send out a raiding party to assault them tonight? After all, they would not be expecting it."

"A good idea, but I believe that we should maintain our forces here, especially considering their numbers, if you believe it is a good idea you may take your people Leif, but my soldiers will remain here."

"I see your point. We will remain on guard here, should you require our services, please send a messenger after us. We are going to escort the villagers and townspeople to Karariko."

"I will. Good Luck. We are set then. Prepare your troops, they will be here soon." Zelda dismissed the council. "Leif?"

"Your majesty."

"Please return quickly, I don't know how long know how long I… we can hold out without your support."

"Of course, we will proceed with the greatest haste possible and return just as swiftly."

"I have faith in you. I await your safe return." Leif exited the room leaving Zelda alone. She stared into the mirror opposite her. "I don't know that I can do this. They're way too strong and our soldiers are already on edge. I just wish I had the same courage as Link."

"You just have to believe in yourself, you know. I forgot my map." Leif explained as he walked back out of the room. Zelda shook her head. At least she had someone who believed in her.

Clank. Click. The door locked behind Colin and Link as they entered the main room. The cavernous dome was the size of the entire mountain.

"Look Link, it's one of the gems that the old man was talking about. Let's go get it." Colin raced across the floor towards the shiny orb. Link missed grabbing the youth as he rocketed off and was forced to give chase.

The ceiling collapsed through and a dragon landed in the center of the room. Colin was sent flying backwards by the shockwave sent out from the dragon's landing. Link helped the child to his feet and the stared at the large beast.

"I see you've met the guardian. His name is Levian, the great dragon. Good Luck." The old man's voice came through the tube poking out of the wall next to them. The dragon roared and sprayed fire across the room. Link hefted the giant shield they had in front of them and deflected the deadly flames. The fire licked at the edges of the shield, but passed harmlessly around the two heroes.

The giant beast swung its tail at the poor souls hiding behind the shield and swept it across the room. The two youths dodged out of the way and flanked the dragon on either side. "Silly humans, you think that you can best me?" The dragon flipped around and knocked Link to the ground and faced Colin. The child drew his bow and fired it at the dragon, attempting to blind it.

The dragon scoffed at the puny fledgling before it and blew a hot burst of smoke from its snout at the youth which tossed him to the ground. Link watched the events as he stood back up. He noticed that the dragon was standing on top of what looked to be cannons on the floor. Then he saw the gears in the wall just behind him. He dragged the shield they had acquired and shoved it into the set of gears on the wall. Immediately the cannons of the color shot out burst of air that caught the dragon on the underside and flipped him over.

Link sprinted across the room and drew his sword slicing the soft underside of the great dragon. Blood oozed from the wound as the sharp blade cut through the flesh of the dragon. The beast howled with pain and flipped over and clawed at Link, who blocked the strike with his shield. The dragon continued to claw at Link who kept blocking the strikes and lashed out with his sword in between attacks.

Levian became sluggish from the loss of blood that he had endured. He grabbed Link in one of his giant claws and attempted to squish him. Colin started running to try and prevent his friend from becoming a pancake. The youth noticed the air cannon that was still firing and jumped into it. The updraft flung him into the air as he had expected and catapulted onto the back of the dragon.

The unfortunate part of dragon scales is their lack of feeling. The dragon didn't notice the light weight of the child landing on his back. Colin climbed the dragons back until he reached the dragons head. Below he heard a gut wrenching sound that he assumed could only be the sound of his friend's ribs cracking. He quickly reached into his quiver and drew an arrow which he used to stab the dragon through the right eye. The beast dropped Link and roared in anger.

The dragon threw Colin off of his back and into the air. He swiped at him and knocked him to the ground next to Link. "You children have begun to anger me. It is time for me to finish this." Link, although barely conscious, knew what the dragon had in mind and as he reared back to blast the youths with a blast of fire Link dove to cover Colin from what he knew was possibly an attack that would finish him. As Link laid on top of the Colin he waited in fear of what would come next.

The blast of fire never touched the youths. In fact there was never a blast of fire at all. The dragon breathed in sharply and let out a puff of smoke. Then he turned and grabbed the gemstone from the pedestal in the middle of the cavern and brought it back to the two friends crumpled on the ground.

"Your courage is enough that I doubt many would be able to stand against you. The times ahead will be more dangerous than they even were here in this cave. It will take the three of you to finish your quest. The two of you are strong, but even you are not capable of achieving everything." The dragon rolled the stone between Link and Colin before breathing a blast of hot air onto them.

Immediately the two adventurers felt their wounds repairing and the pain seeping from their bodies. The two of them looked themselves over before turning to the other and smiling. They embraced and stood up grabbing the stone that they needed.

"Good show, you two. I must say that I am impressed by your ability to face anything even though you have almost no chance of defeating him. You'll need that type of mindset facing those on the road ahead." The old "Doctor" walked into the chamber with Ilia. She ran to check on her friends while the doctor spoke to the dragon.

"Are you two alright?"

"Yeah we're fine. I mean Link here was a bit scared and wanted to run for it, but I told him that we needed the stone." Colin teased. Link reached over and ruffled the antagonizer's hair.

"Come on then, you brave warrior. We have work to do." Ilia said grabbing Colin and dragging him toward the exit. Link stood up to follow his friends, but the dragon reached out and stopped him.

"Link, you are perhaps the greatest warrior in this land, but even you cannot protect your friends all of the time. Take your friend to the lake to the south, there she will be taught the skills she will need to defend herself and complete her quest. Leave her there to work, you and Colin must journey on to the next temple. It contains several traps and monsters that you have not seen before. It will be imperative that you remain courageous. After you complete the trials of the dungeon return to the lake, and then you will be able to face the last temple. Good luck, Link."

"Uhh…hmm." Link nodded and ran after his friends, leaving the dragon and the doctor alone.

"You're going to set up the traps again aren't you?"

"What do you care lizard?"

"What if they come back for your assistance?"

"Then I'll get to see if my traps are becoming more effective." The dragons snorted and left the old man to his thoughts.

"Hey, Leif, do you know where we are going?"

"Of course I do. This map has the route that we need to take on it."

"Yes, but all of the townspeople are complaining that we're headed in the opposite direction of Kakariko Village."

"Well Sori, that would be because we aren't headed for the village. We are headed north toward the domain of the Zoras."

"I thought you said that we'd be heading toward Kakariko Village."

"I did, but that was because I knew that they were listening to us. Zelda is distracted, by the troubles her country is going through and hasn't noticed the rift in her council. One of her generals is feeding information out to the Amerens through some of the townspeople who believe that they are making it better for themselves. So I sent Sipes to have the soldiers meet us at our destination so that we could return much more heavily armed then they had expected. The Gorons should have no trouble making sure that the Amerens are unable to make it to their homes. I just fear that the thing is too difficult for us to handle. After all, the entire thing hinges on Link completing his mission, and I don't know that he'll be able to do it."

"Don't worry about him Leif, just do what you're supposed to and he'll make it. We aren't incapable of survival without him you know."

"Yes, that's true. I'm worried that I'm not doing everything necessary to keep these people safe."

"You're doing your best and that's all we can ask of you, besides if we thought anyone could do any better you wouldn't be in charge." Sori joked with him ruffling his hair before turning and running off toward the others. Palee walked up with several of the youths from Ordon.

"These kids haven't stopped asking me about Link and Colin since we started on this trip, they're your problem now." The soldier left the kids with the leader and ran off with a speed that Leif hadn't seen in a long time.

"How's Link?"

"Where's Colin?"

"How Long have they been gone?"

"When are they coming back?"

"Have you talked to them?"

"Why aren't you answering us?"

"SILENCE!" The children staggered back from the outburst from Leif. Every single member of the caravan turned toward them. Leif told them to keep on going while maintaining his composure. "I'm sorry that I had to do that but none of you were giving me the chance to speak. First off, Link and Colin are fine; they are headed to solve our Ameren problem. Secondly I have not talked to them and have no idea when they'll return; I just don't have that level of resources. Before you ask Ilia is with them and my answer remains the same for her as well. Does that answer all of your questions?"

"Mostly, but I was wondering if I could be a scout." Leif eyed the child in front of him. He knew that Talo was a capable spotter, but he wasn't ready to allow the child to be in any danger."

"I don't think we need that position filled right now, however, I do believe that Sori is interested in getting some people to help her. She's way down there by the rest of my guys." Leif pointed to the front of the column where Sori and Palee were talking. He knew that they were close and he was going to get a lot of flak from sending the kids their way, but at this point he didn't care.

Ahead of the column rose the Snowpeaks. The mountains were a sight to behold even from this distance. The white tips of the mountains contrasted the colored sky that was beginning to form as the sun dipped below the peaks of the giant pinnacles.

"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

"No." Link was starting to get irritated by the youth's incessant questioning. They had only barely left the last dungeon and had only passed one of the mountains when the questions had started. It was now nearly night time and they had only passed a few mountains, yet the questions continued without mercy.

"Sorry Link I'm just bored. Going on an adventure isn't nearly as exciting as I had thought it would be."

"Well perhaps you would prefer if we were running, it keeps up your endurance."

"Link, what you don't understand is that I am running just to keep up with your walking speed. I'm kind of getting tired."

"You're a lazy little punk you know that." Link turned around and gave Colin a playful punch. Colin staggered back a bit before running at Link, who ran backwards at a similar pace to the boy. Eventually Colin ran out of breath and started to slow down.

"I.. can't… keep up. You're so fast." Link just laughed and kept backing up trying to get Colin to chase after him again. Colin shook his head and tried to catch his breathe. When he looked up again there was a vine-like plant with giant teeth growing up behind Link. "Look out behind you!"

Link turned and saw the plant lunging down after him. He rolled to the side and with a smooth motion removed his sword from its sheath and cut the head off the plant monster. The monster disappeared in a poof of dark smoke.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, but next time when I say we should stop. Let's just stop."

"Agreed. Let's check the map again." Colin reached into his pack and withdrew the map. The map showed them just several mountains away from their next objective.

"Look there Link, were almost there, and see here's a bridge, if we take that we'll be over there by nightfall." Link looked to where the boy was pointing. Sure enough there was a small bridge over the valley that was coming up on the other side of the next mountain. Although the first few mountains had been hard for the group to climb Link and Colin were beginning to adjust to the thinner mountain air.

"Let's try and get past this one as fast as possible then, the fewer nights that we have to spend outside, the better." Link had grown accustom to finding places of refuge during the night. During his earlier adventure he had found that the night was when the most difficult and fearsome monsters appeared.

The twosome continued up their next mountain racing up the slope at a speed that may have been a little fast, but they were not worried about what might be ahead of them. The adventurers reached the top of the mountain at about noon and the sun shown down on the valley below them. Several hundred feet down was the beginnings of a bridge.

The stone construction seemed ancient, but it seemed to be capable of carrying several thousand pounds at once. Link smiled at their good luck, with this bridge they would be able to attain the stone that much quicker and return to Ilia.

"You're thinking about her aren't you?" Link felt a shade of red come to his cheeks at the child's ability to see into his head with such ease. "Well we aren't getting back to her just sitting around here." Colin descended the slope at a smooth jog. Link struggled to keep up even though the boy was half his size.

The pair was just about to the bridge when Link's foot caught a stone and he tumbled the last thirty feet down to the bridge. Colin slowly climbed to the bottom and walked over to make sure his friend was ok. Link groaned as he got to his feet. He had a few bruises but other than that he was entirely ok.

"Hey I beat you to the bottom." Colin shook his head and smiled at the crazy adventurer. He helped Link to his feet and the two of them started across the bridge.

"You know, this seems almost too easy." Link attempted to cover the child's mouth before he could finish, but it was too late. Ameren soldiers descended from the hills on both sides and trapped them on the bridge. Link looked over the edge, but seeing the rocks below decided that jumping was probably not an option.

"What do we do Link?" Colin asked reaching his hand back to grab his bow. Link grabbed the boy's wrist and shook his head. There was no way that the two of them would be able to fight the five or so soldiers on either side of them.

"Hey there strangers. You seem pretty lost if you're out here in these mountains. Perhaps we could escort you to wherever you're headed." The lead soldier offered.

"We, uh, aren't entirely sure where we're headed. You see the boy here wanted to go on an adventure and I thought it would be nice for him to get a taste of the wilderness."

"That was probably not very wise of you. There are many dangers out here especially with the monsters. Perhaps we could take you in for the night."

"I'm sure that won't be necessary. I think that we can get back by then, we are headed back as we speak."

"No I insist." The soldier suddenly noticed the styling of Links sword. It was not one he had ever seen before. In fact the style was not Ameren in nature at all. "Where did you get this?"

"I found it."

"See I would have thought you stole it from the Hylians, but considering that it's not stolen I can only assume that you have free access to that country. So if we could have your weapons I would appreciate it."

Link handed over his weapons and motioned for Colin to do the same. Unfortunately the child was on edge and held onto the weapon for a bit longer than he meant to. The soldier reached to grab the bow from Colin's hand. Link instinctively grabbed the soldier's hand assuming mal-intent. The other's grabbed Link and threw him to the ground. Colin handed over the bow in hopes that it would ease the situation; unfortunately that was not what happened.

"Seeing that you are not being very kind to your host it would seem that we shall have to be less than hospitable to our guests." The captain walked forward and punched Link in the stomach as the two others held his arms. Link coughed as the blow knocked the wind out of him.

Colin watched the captain hit Link twice more before he was spurred to action. The child grabbed the soldier's arm as he went back for another blow. The captain turned and struck the youth with his left hand knocking him back several feet.

"You need to know when to just stand there and take what you've got." The other two soldiers grabbed Colin. "If only you had just let your friend take it." The captain struck Colin across the face with a strong right hook. Colin thought he felt his nose break and could feel the warm blood flow down his face. The captain smiled with a dark smile. He was about to strike again when he heard the sound of horse steps. He looked up to see an older gentleman astride a rather large steed within a hundred feet. The horse came to a stop fifty feet away and the rider dismounted.

"I'm sorry buddy we were just showing these miscreants that they aren't allowed in our territory." The rider walked closer and saw Link slightly double over in pain. He walked next to the captain and stood.

"What you need help to beat us up? You can't do it yourself." Colin said looking up at the new figure that had joined the captain. The captain, enraged by the mocking that the youth was giving went to hit him. It was only at the last moment that he noticed the youth smile at the new figure.

The older gentleman had removed his helmet and dropped it to the ground. He grabbed the captain's arm and twisted it behind his back. "Do not touch my son." Rusl emphasized every word. He lifted the captain off the ground and threw him over the edge of the bridge. The older soldier drew his sword and hacked at one of the soldiers who held Link's arm. The other released Link to draw his sword. Link stumbled forward and grabbed his sword.

He and Rusl faced the two soldiers that had previously held him. The soldiers seemed quite confident in their armor. Link struck the nearest one with his sword and felt the strike bounce off with force. He couldn't believe that they actually had impenetrable armor. He would just have to be more careful with his strikes. He blocked the attack against him and struck in against the soldier's arm trying to find a weak spot in his armor.

Rusl was having similar troubles. The four swordsmen danced about trying to beat on another. The soldiers holding Colin tossed him to the ground and went to help their friends, but were grabbed and suddenly found the same fate as their captain. The other members of the Resistance restrained themselves and allowed Link and Rusl to continue fighting and stayed out of their way.

Link struggled against his opponent and couldn't strike the weaker spots on his armor. After several more clashes Link finally found the opening he was looking for. The swordsman had grown sluggish and was throwing his weight into his swings. Link waited and then instead of parrying the strike he dodged it. The soldier tumbled forward with his own momentum. Link grabbed the soldier by the collar and threw him down. The soldier's sword skittered along the ground to the feet of the members of the resistance. Obviously bested the soldier surrendered.

Although Link was able to best his fighter Rusl was having much more trouble. The older soldier was growing tired and it only added to the energy of the younger and better equipped fighter. Rusl parried blow after blow before finally his sword was knocked from his hand. The villager fell backwards from the force of the blow and held up his arm. The soldier showed no signs of mercy as he brought back his weapon.

Rusl waited for the blow, but it never came. When he finally looked over his arm he saw the soldier dead on the ground with an arrow through the hole in the man's helmet. When he turned around to thank his friends he was surprised to see his own son standing with the bow, another arrow knocked and ready for the soldiers on the other end of the bridge.

They never came and the child relaxed the tension on the bow. He rushed over to his father and embraced him in the largest hug he could muster. The others sat silently while the two family members had their moment.

"I thought I was going to lose you."

"You didn't have to worry about me, Dad. Link's here and I can fight them too."

"I saw that. I still don't think that you should go running around with Link though. It's too dangerous."

"Dad, we can handle this. Plus Link can't do this alone. Even the old man said so."

"Old man or not you're coming back with me and that's final."

"No. I have to go with Link and like it or not that's what I'm going to do."

"Listen here, we are going back to the castle…"

"Actually we aren't." Chad interrupted. "We received a communication from one of Leif's messengers. They believe that the integrity of the council is compromised and has moved the entire village to the Zora's domain."

"Doesn't matter. You aren't headed this way and that's final." The tears welled in Colin's eyes. He looked over at Link who was trying not to get involved in the matter.

"Come on Link. You heard the old guy you need my help. We got to be in this together. Tell him." Rusl eyed Link who was struggling to come up with something to say.

"Rusl, I won't let him get hurt, no matter what. He's been more than capable of fighting for himself for the last year or so."

"That was because there were no other options; I couldn't keep him out of harm's way."

"If you take him back that's exactly where you put him. If we don't go, everyone will be in harm's way." The old man's face turned to a frown. It was several minutes before he spoke.

"Fine, you can go with Link. Chad take the others back to help. I'll go on with them." The Resistance initially was surprised by the older man's remarks, then knowing how Rusl was listen to him."

"Keep yourself out of trouble old man." The remainder of the group wheeled around and rode off back the way they had come. After they had crested the hill Rusl turned back to the two adventurers.

"Well, what are you waiting for? An invitation? Let's go." Rusl led his horse across the bridge. The other two looked at each other and smiled before darting after the old man who was moving quite quickly for his age.

"Leif, I've got some bad news."

"What?" Leif hadn't expected everything to go perfectly, but why did it always wait until they were close to the end.

"There's a group of goblinish creatures up ahead and they look hostile. The kids think we should engage, but I'm not sure what to make of it. They haven't attacked yet, but we aare holding aggressive stances."

"I'll take a look, in the meantime take Sipes and scout ahead. I don't want there to be anyone waiting to ambush us."

"I got it boss."

"And Sori, keep your eyes open. I don't need to lose anybody on this."

"We will." Leif watched her head off toward the archer who was rested comfortably in his saddle. Sori gave him a little shove as she came over and Sipes fell off the horse. Leif allowed himself a snicker before he made his way to the front of the line.

In front of them was a smallish for of the Bulbins, roughly thirty strong. The kids were out front as well, yelling names he would have expected from someone twice their age. The goblin creatures bashed their clubs against their shields and roared. Leif just watched the awesome display of smack-talk. Normally the yells were just to intimidate the enemy, but here it seemed almost a battle in itself.

"Palee! Where are we at?" The soldier rushed forward and procured a map from his pack. He pointed at the field just south of their destination.

"Still in Hyrule Field sir. I think that this is a raiding party that has strayed farther south with the weakened state of the country."

"I'd say that's a good assessment, but you don't think they would be willing to attack a force our size, do you?"

"I don't know, after all they are probably getting desperate from the lack of travelers. I think if they were to attack though that we'd have very few casualties." Palee knew his mistake right after he said it.

"I don't care if it's only one casualty it's too many. I want those guys moved or removed without anything happening to any of our people."

"I'm on it sir." Palee ran forward out front of the column of refugees and tossed at bottle at the crowd of Bulbins. The area in front of the creatures burst into flame and nearly engulfed the entire first row of soldiers. The monsters turned and fled from the frightening display.

"Did you see that Leif? We scared 'em off." The children tugged at the bottom of his tunic. Leif broke into laughter and the children not understanding joined him. As the column trudged a little more briskly toward their destination the mood had lightened.

"Sipes, how you been."

"ehh."

"Usual, that's good. You know perhaps you should come out and talk with the rest of us. Maybe then we wouldn't have to pry at you."

"Eh." Sipes just shrugged.

"You're impossible. Hey what's that up ahead?" Sori pointed to a glint of light coming from just a few hundred meters away.

"It's a simply sword with a bow right next to it. The tracks leading up to it from the west indicate an ambush by it seems to be bandits, but somewhat different. Them seem to be gone though, judging from the age of the tracks." They only just now got to the site.

"How do you do that?"

"It's a skill developed after many years, you wouldn't understand. Your female mind is incapable of keeping focus for that long."

"You little shit." Sori pounced on the archer. She dragged him to the ground. After several rolls Sipes ended up on top.

"Seems like my superior male strength has bested you as well." Sipes smirked, but it was wiped away by a smack to the face. He momentarily recoiled before grabbing her wrists and pinning them to the ground. She wrestled against his grip, but he had a quiet strength about him. "Foolish girl. Hahahah"

He brought her wrist over to one side before viciously assaulting her. The endless raing of tickling fingers gave her no remorse as she squirmed underneath him. Sori and Sipes had been best friends since birth. In fact at no more than two Sipes was already giving Sori gifts he would find; leaves, bark, anything that was new and interesting.

Their tickle fights had started as a way to keep a part of themselves with them when they left. Sori had started it when she would sneak attack Sipes at night, before he finally stayed up late enough to surprise her.

Now as she was laughing she heard a dull thud and felt Sipes fall off of her. As she rubbed the tears from her eyes she found herself surrounded by the "bandits" Sipes was talking about. Their green skin was unnatural and they reeked of sweat and odor. There were roughly thirty of them. They were two to a steed and managed were circling the soldier.

Sipes lay motionless on the ground, whether he was dead or unconscious she couldn't tell, but she knew she was in trouble she drew her sword and faced one set of the bandits, but was caught off guard when another pair snatched her weapon from her grasp.

The lead Bulbin, who was perhaps the largest pig thing she had ever seen, rode out on top of another ugly pig thing.

Realizing that she was nearly hopeless she decided to try and run past the goblin creatures and hopefully evade capture until she met up with her friends. Then they could help Sipes. This attempt was fruitless and in general ineffective. She ran and made it several meters past the animals when she felt an object strike the back of her head, and everything went black.

"This is silly. I can't believe that I believed the old man." Ilia was left at the lake just as the man had said, but after a day of waiting she was becoming inpatient. "If there was more time I could afford to wait, but I don't have all that much time."

The water in front of her began to bubble as if reacting to what she was saying. Ilia took several steps back as a large structure rose from the bottom of the lake. The doorway overshadowed her by several feet.

"Enter, hero of the forest. The answers you seek await you, but they are not without difficulty. Is this truly the path you wish to take?" Ilia swallowed down her fear, knowing that she had to do it, but also did not want to wait for Link to return.

She followed the dark staircase down under the surface of the lake. As she descended the door shut behind her and she felt the entrance sink beneath the waves once more. The stairs were lined with torches and were made of what appeared to be the very clay from the lake. The stairs themselves were simply cut into the floor, perfectly flat and monotonous.

When she reached the bottom she walked under an archway leading to the next room. It was a chamber that opened expansively beyond the door way. The ceiling was so high above her it was surprising that it wasn't always sticking out of the water. The floor of the room extended for several hundred meters in all directions.

Halfway across the room however was a lone figure. The figure turned to her beckoning her to come closer. Even from the distance that she was at ilia could tell that the person was older. The slow motions made by him or her were evidence to that fact, but she walked forward just the same. With the distance between herself and the stranger in front of her closed she could get a much better view of her.

The old lady wore a dark gray cloak that covered most of her person. Besides that she wore brown boots, which ilia thought was strange for a person of her age. The lady's face was not one of beauty and Ilia could tell that, but the stranger's large brown eyes shown with experience. The lady reached out toward Ilia offering her wrinkled hand. Ilia took it and was suddenly transported to place much different than she had just been.

The world became almost blurred. The old lady whose hand she had taken was transformed into a younger person. Her garb was nearly identical to that of the sheikah that Ilia had heard about.

"I have been waiting for you. I only wish that we could have more time however. My name is Impa and I was assigned long ago to prepare you for the adventure ahead. You have much to learn and I don't think you can do it."

"I've been practicing with Link and plus I never thought it would come to this so give me a break. Who do you think you are anyway?"

"I figure you would have known considering who your father is."

"What do you mean?"

"Your father was a brave adventurer, stronger and faster than any I have ever known. He was courageous, strong, and smart. When he found me many years ago I was becoming older and had no way to help him. He told me that one day he may need my help to train his daughter, who I assume is you. Now, however, we must get you ready for the future. Come, show me what you know."

Ilia drew her sword along with the Ordon shield that Link had given to her. Impa's gaze fell to the sword that Ilia held, but she remained silent. Impa waited for Ilia to make the first move, but when she didn't Impa started. She lashed out with her sword striking at Ilia's forearm. Ilia blocked the strike with her sword and used her shield to shove Impa back. Then she stabbed at the recoiling sheikah.

Her reaction time stunned Ilia. Impa couldn't recover with her sword hand, but used her for arm to knock the blade away from her. If Impa was impressed she didn't show it. In fact her face looked like she was even more disappointed. Impa returned to the offensive, beating on Ilia's shield with her sword. Ilia stepped back with each strike against her shield. Impa's unending strikes deterring any counter attack.

As she backed up Ilia failed to notice the rock on the ground and when Impa struck again Ilia fell backwards onto the ground. The ground kicked up dust from the impact and got in Ilia's eyes. "Pathetic. Such promise and yet so unobservant it's lethal."

Though Ilia couldn't see she was angered by Impa's taunts. However from her voice Ilia could tell where the older person was. She rotated on her side and swung out her legs in a kick. Impa went down just as fast as Ilia had. Ilia managed to get back to her feet and regain her composure before Impa recovered.

"Hmm. Maybe there's hope for you after all." Impa smiled for the first time. "Follow me. There is much work to be done."

"My liege, there's a commotion to the south. It seems as though they're attacking."

"Thank you, rejoin your men captain, we must stop them. General, are you ready for the defense?"

"Yes your majesty, my men are awaiting your orders."

"Good. Put yourself where you deem necessary. I will not let them into this city." As the general turned and left she felt the earth begin to shake and a loud roar rose up from the south. They were coming and it was only a matter of time before Hyrule would fall, but she would never give up, not after all Link had done, and was going to do.

She drew her sword and started out toward the battlements. She would make sure that no one made it over the wall.

"Hey Link I think I found it!" Colin yelled from a grove of trees just west of where Link and Rusl were searching. The entrance to the next dungeon was an overgrown gateway that was covered in markings.

"Good work, my boy, we might make an adventure out of you yet." Rusl laughed as the three of them entered the resting place of the next stone. The door opened to a single hallway. It had red carpeting down the middle and was flanked on either side by pictures of the mountains around them.

Link walked forward to examine the mysterious pieces. A flash blinded him temporarily and time suddenly stood still. Link looked around to see his friends immobilized by some force. A dark blue hue had covered his vision and he began to wander toward the entrance. He walked only two steps before he noticed the differences in the pictures. Now each of them held a different area. This one had people who were laughing and enjoying themselves.

"They were without fear." A voice sounded from nowhere as Link examined the picture. The next picture showed the same people but cowering in fear from their captors. "They were without courage." The next picture showed them, but they were excited because of Link. "They were without a hero."

The scene flashed again and time returned to normal. "So I was thinking Link, we should probably make sure that we are able to get through here with the least amount risk as possible." Link only nodded, still unnerved by the voice. Colin tugged at the teen's tunic to drag him toward the other end of the hall.

"Link, where do you think this hallway leads?" Link had no idea where they were headed and by the length of time it was taking them to get to the door, he was beginning to be angered.

When they finally reached the next door it opened into a semi large area. There was a central post running up and down the middle of the chamber. Rusl was confused by the lack of doorways on the bottom floor of the building. Again a flash shone and the ground shook. Link was taken back to the other sense.

"The world depends on the will of the courageous." Link noticed the walls on either side of the cavern were fairly slippery but bent toward the top of the structure. "This is your test. Theirs will come soon." Link was shocked back to reality. Colin shook him.

"What are we going to do Link?" Link walked to the wall and placed one foot on the wall. Then he hoisted himself up by the next hand fold. "Wait for me Link." Colin rushed over to follow the teen but found that the crevices were too far spaced for him to reach. So the two on the ground watched the green warrior climb the slippery rock wall.

Link was careful about picking good hand holds. Still there were several spots were wet and he almost slipped. He would get just enough grip though to throw himself even higher up. When he reached almost the top he stopped finding hand holds. A hundred feet off the ground and he was finally stuck. He looked to his left and found that there was a small ledge that he figured he could grab, but it was far away and he wasn't sure if he could make it.

"Jump" The voice whispered in his ear. Link, even knowing that the distance was probably too far for him followed the advice of the voice and jumped for the ledge. The wet edge of the outcropping was not conducive to grabbing and Link felt his had slip from the edge he had grabbed. As he fell he threw out his arm to catch something and felt his hand find purchase on metal object. The object broke free from the rock and he held onto it as he fell.

Colin and Rusl watched their friend fall for seventy feet and turned away before he hit the ground. When they finally turned around to see what remained of their friend they were pleasantly surprised to find that he was not a pancake, but was dangling from a switch. One he had grabbed in mid-air and didn't catch until he was twenty feet off the ground.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, my arm is a little bit sore, but other than that I'm great." The three of them heard a loud rumble as the main column slowly dropped until it was even on their level. There was a loud latching sound as the column found its moorings.

"The first test is passed. Many more await you." A voice boomed from the walls. The only door on the column opened and revealed a dark entrance. Link led the two others forward into the unknown.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Sipes?"

"I'm here, wherever here is." Their current environment was nothing more than a common cell.

"What do you think they're going to do?"

"I have no idea, but I'm not going to wait around to find out." Sipes rolled over to Sori who watched him quizzically. He rolled over the top of her and started squirming behind her.

"Oww, what are you doing?"

"Imm shuing th roff."

"What?"

"I'm chewing the rope." Sipes spat as he finished gnawing his way through the rope. Sori quickly undid her legs and helped Sipes with his restraints. The knots were not very well made and Sipes was certain that if necessary they could have just broken the knots.

The two friends made their way to the cell door and examined it. It was made of iron that had rusted and corroded over the years. Sipes took one run at it and the cell door and it fell. Sori was smart enough to catch it before it hit the ground and alerted someone. The lack of guards made escaping from the prison incredibly easy. When they made their way outside, though, things took a turn for the worst.

They were in what appeared to be a fortified structure roughly four hundred meters across and twice that much wide. If it wasn't bad enough they were surrounded by a wall at least ten meters high. Patrolling the grounds was a rather large group of bandits. They were much more alert than those inside and looked a tad more intimidating.

"Quick this way." Sipes led them down the south wall toward the only exit. They stopped in the shadows only forty meters from the gate. It was controlled by a lever that was guarded by four of the largest bandits they had seen to date.

"What do we do now? There's no way we can beat the four of them." Sipes looked around for another way to get out. "What are you going to do with a rock? Are you crazy?!"

"Watch." Sipes lugged the large rock toward the edge of their hiding spot and threw it at the control lever. The lever was snapped out of position and the gate was released sending it falling to the ground with a large crash. The two escapees ran out their exits and sprinted across the open field.

"What if they chase us?" Sori asked when they were nearly a kilometer from the base.

"Then we are gonna have to run faster" Sipes responded indifferently, until the riders raced out of the gate. "We're in trouble."

"Ilia, there is still much to be learned. Don't let your youth and ambition get in the way of accomplishing your task."

"I'm sorry Impa but time has been something that I have far too little of. You've taught me enough to survive on my own. I need to make sure that my friends are able to complete their task."

"If you are indeed ready then it is time that we see about that." The exit to the area locked.

"Impa, open the door. I need to get out to help my friends."

"I'm afraid that you can't. This is where the next test lies and since you've decided to go it alone… Good Luck."

"Wait, Impa this isn't… Stop."

"This is the only way child, for there are few in this world that would only be too willing to send you to your death once you leave this place. Good Luck. The trials you face here are far more difficult than any you have faced before." Impa vanished with a puff of smoke and left Ilia alone in a dark room.

The lights suddenly lit in the corners of the room. The octagonal room had no exits. The floor was covered in a crimson carpet. On the wall was a single frame it showed the stone that she needed. Ilia walked over to the painting. It looked real enough, but something seemed wrong. She reached out and touched the picture.

The world went black and she felt herself spinning in the air. The tumultuous sequence only last a few seconds, but it left her feeling disoriented and unsteady. "My dear, did you really think that you could have our prize so easily." A voice sounded from her left.

Ilia turned to face a man only slightly older that her. He was well groomed and wore what she considered to be the most ornate clothing she had ever seen. The only thing about him that suggested anything bad was his voice and that tiny bit of sparkle in his eye.

"Ilia, if only you had listened to your dear guardian. You would have nothing to fear and this would be so easy for you. Yet you are impulsive and young. You don't understand the ways of this world yet and for that you will have to pay." The man drew his sword. "Tonight, I will seal the fate of both you and those that you fight for." He swung at the girl with all he had throwing his weight and strength into one swing.

Ilia was disoriented, but she had enough control to dive out of the way of the flashing blade. If only she had waited a bit longer none of this would have happened. As the sword flew past her again she thought of Link and what he would do.

"Link!" Colin was dangling off an edge that they had not seen when they entered the room. Link bent down and hauled him back up to safety. "Thanks. I wonder why they had this hole here.

"The second test is more difficult that the first. Come forth old man and see what awaits you." Time slowed and seemingly stopped for everyone, except for Rusl. He saw the hole begin to shake and heard the patter of large feet. Suddenly the noise stopped and the shaking stopped. Rusl walked over to see what was causing the racket. When he bent over the edge though, the monster leapt out of its hole. The creature was over seven feet tall and was covered from head to toe in a thick armor like skin.

It moved closer to Rusl eyeing him warily. Rusl watched the beast, carefully identifying all the weaknesses and strengths of the creature. It had a small hole in its armor roughly the size of an orange. Rusl could only assume that it was his best shot. The monster pulled out a sword that was nearly the size of Rusl himself. It swung the weapon with enough force to take off Rusl's head and then some. The older man dodged the swing rolling to his left and lashing out at the weak spot in the monsters armor.

The large lizard like creature howled in pain and thrashed about launching Rusl to one corner. Once it regained its focus it ran after Rusl who was slowly getting to his feet. He saw the fighter racing towards him and looked for a way out. The monster lowered it sword ready to impale Rusl onto the pillar that he was using to stand himself up. At the last second before he was run through Rusl dove at the beast's legs tripping it up and sending it cascading into the pillar. The room shook as the pillar collapsed around the beast.

Rusl turned and walked away from the sight. He walked over to his friends to find them frozen in place still. That meant…

The monster burst forth from the rubble that had surrounded him. The once shiny green skin that had protected him was broken and cracked. Glowing lines of red ran up and down the creature's body. It spied Rusl and unleashed the most deafening war cry that Rusl had ever heard. It threw its weapon at him, which Rusl barely dodged. The beast pounced on the old man knocking him to the ground and sending his sword skittering across the floor. The beast wrapped its hands around Rusl's neck, strangling him and lifting him into the air. It gave what Rusl believed to be a laugh as he kicked and squirmed.

The air was leaving his lungs and blackness crept at the edges of his vision. He was about to give up hope when he noticed his son still standing frozen where he'd left him. With renewed strength Rusl grasped the creature's right arm and held it in place. He used his other hand to grab the creature's upper arm. Thus locking it ridged and with the last of the energy he had left he swung his lower body flinging his knee into the elbow of the creature's arm. The arm snapped and Rusl was dropped to the floor below gasping for breath.

Again the creature howled in pain. Angered by the relentless efforts of the tiny human it swung its fist at Rusl. The old man dodged the punch and retaliated hitting the beast in its weaker spot causing it to recoil back. He unleashed a flurry of punches that sent the beast staggering back. With one final heave Rusl threw his weight into one last punch the caught the creature in the jaw and sent it reeling back where it fell back into the hole from where it had sprung.

Link and Colin walked forward and patted Rusl on the back.

"Nice work Dad." Colin hugged Rusl, while Link simply gave him a look of approval. It felt good to be back in the fight.

"One test remains and you shall have your prize. This is your last chance to leave."

"Bring it on. Show us your worst, we aren't afraid of you."

"We shall see about that child." Link and Rusl froze and a floor dropped in place where the hole was. On the platform stood a cloaked figure, who beckoned Colin forward. Colin walked forward fearlessly approaching the cloaked figure. "Let's make this a bit more interesting shall we. The doorway Colin walked through burst into flames and Link and Rusl became reanimated.

"Colin!" Rusl yelled, unable to do anything because of the fire.

"Now young adventurer let us begin." Colin began firing arrows at the figure. The figure blocked his shots with a simple flick of his hand. After a few more shots Colin reached back for his quiver and found it empty. "Let's see how brave you are without your trusty bow." The figure walked toward the child confidently.

Colin dropped his bow and unsheathed his dagger. Not wavered by the man's taunts he thrust his dagger at him. The cloak was torn, but the man walked forward still. Colin slashed and sliced at the figure until the cloak was in tatters. It was then that Colin found out that the cloaked figure was not a man, but a ghost of a man.

"You think that you can defeat me with your simple weapons. I am already dead. Your weapons cannot affect me." He knocked Colin's dagger from his hand.

"I'm not afraid of you. I'm like Link. I'm not afraid of anything."

"Then that is your downfall. Let us take this test elsewhere, where I can make you afraid." The arena changed and they were transported to Ordon. The ghost disappeared temporarily and then reappeared except this time with another person.

"No! Please." The ghost held his dagger to the throat of the person he had brought with him.

"What? Is she worth that much to you? Are you afraid now?"

"Please don't hurt her."

"I'll do what I want to her, after I'm finished killing you." The ghost let go of the person he held and turned toward Colin and for the first time in a long time Colin was afraid. Afraid he wouldn't be able to defeat the ghost, afraid that he'd lose Beth, afraid. The ghost noticed this and walked forward swinging his sword at the child who rolled out of the way and ran toward Beth who was just standing there. He reached out to pull her with him, but his hand passed through her.

Suddenly he was back in the dark dungeon alone with the ghost. "You see I can make things as they were and things as they could be. Now prepare to die." The ghost slashed at the youth who had tripped on the stone floor.

Colin had no time to move, nor anything to stop the blow. Fear consumed him as the blade swung its arch and stopped an inch from his face. The ghost and Colin looked up in surprise to see a slightly burnt teenager holding back the ghost's blade. With a quick flick of the wrist Link disarmed the ghost.

"Good. You have found the strength I needed you to. Colin, courage is not the absence of fear, but the overcoming of fear. Link can tell you this. Link, you are as courageous as always. Take the stone you seek and return to your friend, I fear she is in grave danger."

The ghost disappeared, as did the flames blocking the doorway. Rusl ran forward and hugged his son. The trio grabbed the stone that they were searching for and exited the dungeon.

The man was thrown off balance by the effort he had thrown into the swing and found himself cascading to the floor. He picked himself up off the ground and dusted himself off. "You are very kind to allow me back to my feet before fighting. A noble gesture, but one you should not expect from me." Ilia had drawn her sword and held it ready.

"Why are you trying to stop me?"

"Don't you see silly girl," The man said, moving closer to her, "It is not that I want to stop you, but it is simply something that must be done." He swung his sword with enough for to cut through armor, but Ilia managed to deflect his blow over her and thrust her weapon into the man's midsection. The figure looked down and was surprised to see blood on his fingertips.

"Who are you?" The man staggered a bit dropping to one knee.

"I'm Ilia, the Daughter of Bo." She declared standing warily several feet away from him. "The better question is who are you?"

"I am Ryle, the general of the Amerens. It is my duty to stop you from preventing us from taking control of the entirety of the Surface."

"Well since I'm from Ordon, I guess that means I'm going to have to be the one to stop you."

"That's where you're wrong sweetheart. You are from Amera. Your mother was the Princess. I can see that with ease. Bo was her Guardian. You see when you mother had you she abdicated the throne to Rion, our King. He had no idea that it was because your mother had fallen in love with Bo."

"So what are you doing here? Why are you here instead of with the main army?"

"Because this is more important for us. You see that sword that you carry with you is made from the same that our swords and armor is made from. I was unaware of this fact until you managed to wound me here. One you complete your quest our armor will disintegrate and the swords shall as well. The only problem for you though is until then our metals are impenetrable and our swords can cut through yours without a problem."

"Why is it that you are willing to tell me this now? Why have you stopped fighting?"

"Princess, if I may. You are the last in the line of your family. Should Rion fall it would be your kingdom. It is entirely possible, that my king may be dead by now. It was not until you were able to fight me that I was assured that you are capable of this." Something in his voice told her that this wasn't right. It wasn't until he stopped talking that she heard the footsteps.

Taking one from Link's book she twisted her upper body and threw her sword around in a full 360 degree spin. The first man was completely caught off guard and had his head removed. The second was lucky enough that the first one got hit for he endured a near lethal blow himself.

"You little brat." A third and fourth and fifth man came to fill in the spots of their comrade. She lunged at the third striking him in the abdomen, causing him to bend over in pain. The next soldier swung at her she moved to parry but was off balance from the first attack. The swing knocked her down and sent her sword skittering across the floor. It was picked up by a sixth soldier who had entered the dungeon. She backed away from the soldiers.

Suddenly a pain erupted through her entire body. She looked down to see a fresh wound, blood darkening her tunic. Ryle grabbed her and held her from hitting the floor. "Don't worry it's not a lethal wound, if attended to." He ripped her locket from her neck and let her fall to the floor. He opened the locket and stare at the picture. He noticed that Bo was missing and that there was another child's arm in the picture.

"What?! There's another?" Ryle bent down and shook Ilia. "Who is it? This child is your relative. Where did you hide it?"

Ilia could feel exhaustion sweeping over her as the blood loss started to affect her. "Whwhat… are..?

"The space, who is it?" Ryle nearly yelled. Then he heard a noise he hadn't expected. Two quick clangs and three thuds. He turned to see the last of his guards collapse to the floor. One had an arrow sprouting from his face the other two dropped in front of two swordsmen.

Link dashed forward and tackled the general away from Ilia. In his fit of rage he bashed the general's skull in and tossed the body to the side. He raced to Ilia's side and took out a bottle. Inside was a fairy which floated around and healed the teenage girl's wounds. Before it floated away again however it floated to Link.

"Your friend, she has been poisoned beyond even what we fairies can heal. The only cure is a plant found in Amera at the Temple. You must hurry, with the amount of blood she has lost has weaken her condition to a critical state."

"Link…" Link picked up his friend and carried her outside to Epona. Colin and Rusl followed them out with the stones. Link gently laid Ilia on Epona wrapping her arms around the horse's neck.

"Link take the stones and go, we'll only slow you down. Colin and I will head back and help out the princess." Rusl grabbed Links arm. "Good Luck son." Link nodded and jumped onto Epona, while Colin loaded the stones into Link's bag.

"Bring her home safe." Link waved to the two before starting Epona off at a gallop.

"Link…"

"What is it?" He leaned forward to hear Ilia's barely audible voice.

"My … is alive." Link knew what she was talking about, but it was something his shoved to the back of his mind as they raced towards the temple.

"LEIF!" Sori had never been so happy to see anyone in her entire life. She and Sipes ran down the hill toward Leif and a band of twenty men.

"Sori? What's the matter?" Then the riders came over the crest of the hill. "Archers, engage. All troops move forward and cover. The archers shot down several of the bulbins before the swordsmen attacked the lead runners. The bandit creatures retreated as quickly as they had attacked. The sudden appearance of enemy forces had left them surprised and greatly outnumbered.

"Sipes! Are you alright?" Sori asked running over to the soldier.

"I'm fine just a scratch is all." Sipes responded while Sori wiped the blood off his forehead. There was indeed a scratch but it was much larger that he made it sound. Sori ripped a piece of her tunic and doused it with some water before tying it around Sipes' head. "Thanks."

"You should watch out next time or I might not be here to save you."

"Are you guys alright?" Leif ran up.

"Yeah we're fine. You found us just in time."

"It's a miracle we found you at all. I told them to take the villagers the rest of the way and that we would come back and help the Princess. You guys are forty kilometers south of where we sent you to scout."

"Well I don't believe in coincidence so let's get going, you're obviously going to need us." Sori smirked, grabbing a weapon from the supply wagon.

"I still don't get why you have this thing Leif. We could move faster if we all carried out own supplies."

"I know, but we might need these supplies and I don't want to get back to the castle yet."

"Why?"

"The castle is under siege and their leader knows that they can't possibly lose to the Hylians. They will take the city, but Zelda will sacrifice the city for her people. We'll find them and mount a counter attack."

"Why would we do that?"

"We need to give Link time to finish his quest and return here to help us retake the city."

"Well then, we should probably get moving."

Link raced across the desert that was the Ameren countryside. The flat ground made for great visibility in all directions. He could see the temple from where they were, but he could also see the large fortress that protected it. If he had any other options he would sneak into the temple to avoid a fight with all the guards that he knew were going to be waiting for them. The dust that Epona was kicking up could easily be seen from miles.

As they neared the fortress Link began to make out figures that were waiting for them. They had bows and arrows that he figured were poisoned as well. The first archer let his arrow fly when they were still several hundred yards away, a warning shot. The arrow hit the ground twenty meters in front of the two, but Link willed Epona forward. The archers though showed no signs of surprise at the actions either. The whole battalion let loose a volley of arrows. Link managed to maneuver Epona through the deadly shower.

Now the Archers began to be frightened, as Link and Epona raced straight toward the gate. Link launched himself off of Epona and held out his shield, becoming basically a human battering ram. Thankfully for Link the Amerens had grown complacent and arrogant. The rusty locks and hinges gave way and the gate flew open to reveal a near empty courtyard. The twenty or so archers from on the wall had drawn swords and were facing him in the courtyard.

"You may have made it into this place boy, but you are never going to make it out." Their leader was an older gentleman who was well into his sixties. As Link looked around he noticed that all of them were over the age of fifty. In fact some of them looked as though they could barely lift their swords anymore.

"Stand down, I'm here to help Ilia and save my friends."

"You don't know who you're dealing with. We are stronger than you may believe. We will cut you down before you can even reach the temple."

"Sir?" One of the men rushed over and whisper to their leader.

"What?!" He turned back to Link. "Let me see the girl." Epona trotted forward and Link lifted her off and gently laid on her on the ground. One of the soldiers ran toward them, but Link stopped him, his sword at the man's neck. The soldier threw his weapons to the ground and Link allowed him to come closer.

"Goddesses, it's her."

"Well?" The leader was growing impatient.

"It's her. They made it."

"Rihten even told us. I can't believe it. Ryle was the best. Team meeting now!" The soldiers colluded for about thirty seconds before returning. The leader walked toward Link his sword drawn. When he was about five feet away he tossed the sword to the ground. "Our country was once a place of plenty and people came from all over the world to visit us. Now out leader has brought us to the brink of ruin. The Gerudo desert was once a small desert and it was an easy journey to Hyrule through the lush forests of the Kiokri, but those days are long gone. The last thing that happened before everything started was the abdication of the throne to our new lord by her mother."

"How can I trust you won't just pick up your swords and kill us?"

"The way I see it kid, your friend is going to die either way, unless we help her." Link stared him down for only a couple of seconds. He knew that the soldier was right. Even if he knew what plants to use there was no way he could concoct an effective potion. He sheathed his sword and picked Ilia off the ground. "Guys get the potion. You know which one. Have a messenger run to Rihten and tell him that it's done."

"How do you know the doctor?"

"He was the leader of our scientific research. I was the leader of our army until Rion put Ryle in my place. Ever since then we've had a policy of no surrender. When the doctor backed out he was supposed to be executed. I helped him escape and kept tabs on him. Since then I've been stuck here with my strongest warriors. You might not know it kid, but you'd probably be dead if you tried to fight us. One on one you might had had a chance and just by looking at you I can bet you'd get at least one of us, but we never fight alone. Something you should probably learn to do."

"Yeah. Too often I don't get that choice."

"Oh, really?" The soldier stepped forward and grasped Links wrist, he remove the gauntlet that exposed the symbol of the Triforce. He handed the gauntlet back Link. "Perhaps I have underestimated the situation that you are involved in. How bad is it in Hyrule?" Link told him about his adventure to defeat the twilight and return Hyrule to its original state.

"Sir, here it is." One of the soldiers ran out with a vial of liquid and handed it carefully to the commander. He forced the unconscious girl to drink the liquid. The effects were nearly instantaneous. The color came back to her face and she sat up immediately. She saw the commander and scurried back several feet before she bumped into Epona.

"Link!" She jumped on him and kissed him. Although they still had work to do he was very much enjoying her company.

"Kids, I hate to break up your happy reunion, but there's a war going on. Ilia, you are the only one that can put an end to this. I don't know what's in the temple; it's only for those whose blood runs through the royal family. You have to go through this alone."

"Link, I don't know. I... last time I failed."

"You don't know how many times I failed on my way to save you. It isn't always about being successful on the first try; it's about giving it your best shot and getting back up when you get knocked down. We all know you can do it you just have to believe in yourself.

"I suppose." Link walked her to the entrance. The door was small and had a large keyhole. "I don't have the key Link."

"It's your blade, Miss. That style of sword is only given to the royal family." Ilia thrust the sword into the keyhole and turned it. The door opened and she stepped into the temple. Just before Link rushed in after her the door shut.

"Don't worry about her too much lad. She's braver than you believe and stronger than she seems. She's smart too. I'd give here a couple of hours to make it through."

"Leif." I've got some wonderful, yet interesting news."

"What is it?

"Zelda has retained possession of the castle. The town has been evacuated into the inner walls."

"That's not what I was hoping she'd do. Not our only hope is that they continue to lay siege to the city and don't attack before Link and Ilia finish their quest." As if on cue a messenger that Leif had sent to follow Link returned.

"The two set out across the final stretch toward the temple, but Ilia was gravely injured, I don't know if they are going to make it."

"That is why I am upset with Zelda's tactical choice. If they fail everyone in that castle is dead. Sipes, Palee, Sori. Stay here and keep the men on guard I'm going to sneak into the castle. I want you to rush their rear flank on the south side entrance at dawn."

"What are you planning?"

"I want to get everyone out if Link doesn't succeed."

"Leif. We aren't going to just risk our lives for some princess of another country. We know you're getting pretty attached to the Hylians. The rest of us have decided that we'll help you this one last time, but we can't afford to be running around risking our lives for people that aren't giving us anything back. We left Irese to check out what was going on in the world, not to fight a war. Don't have the princess leave that castle. We aren't fighting this battle unless Link succeeds."

"What are you cowards?"

"No Leif, we're being smart about this. You know that there isn't another way to beat them. If we didn't know you we'd say that you were one of them."

"I…I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure that…"

"It's alright. You can't save everybody and we know that you were as grateful as anyone when we let you join us, but we can't have you emotionally involved. Not here, not when people's lives are at stake."

"I know. I'm going anyway. I have to talk to Zelda."

"We know, but know that we don't have your back on this one."

"Alright. Good luck." The four friends embraced knowing that this could be the last time that all of them would be gathered together. Leif snuck off into the night.

"Princess. We are in dire need of food and water. We only have a few days' supply left and we can't hold out against them forever."

"Don't worry, Link will succeed we just need to give him some time."

"I know that Link is a great hero and all, but don't you think the kid is in way over his head on this one?"

"He did defeat basically an army while everyone else was just a shadow. I don't think that these guys would give him any trouble at all."

"Fine, but just know that you have our lives on your head." The soldier turned and left the room leaving Zelda with her thoughts.

"Why does this have to be so hard? Who'd have thought that I'd have to make life and death decisions so often? Especially at this age, no one is confident with my judgment."

"I hear you. It's pretty tough being in charge. No one has it weigh more heavily on them than us."

"Leif!" Zelda jumped up and turned to see the soldier standing right next to her. She hugged him. "How'd you get in? They had the city surrounded."

"You'll find that I'm pretty good at exceeding expectations." Besides it's easier to slip one man into the city than a whole army.

"Isn't that the truth? I just wish that you hadn't found that passage as soon as you did. I could have taken out the leader of Hyrule without a sound and put Hyrule under my thumb. Alas I'll have to kill you both." A lone figure was standing in front of the throne. He was covered from head to toe in a cloak that hid his face as well.

"Who are you?" Leif drew his sword and moved in front of the Princess.

"I am Rion, the King of Amera. I have come to take this place with as little bloodshed as possible."

"I'm afraid that you'll never be able to pull that off. I haven't let you harm anyone yet and I won't let you win."

"A brave and noble gesture, but I've just had my messenger return and he told me that Ilia was nearly dead. I also know that your messenger had told you this. What you don't know is that I have my best team stationed at the temple and have reinforcements heading there as well. I'm sorry but she was your last option."

"I don't need to have anything special to defeat you."

"That is where you are wrong. You see I have only been bested by one swordsman and he is across the world and I didn't have my armor. I am three times the sword fighter that you are and in a few seconds you'll find that out."

"Zelda can you hold this for me. You know in case I don't make it." Leif took off his necklace and held it out to Zelda. It had a locket attached to the end of it.

"No! It can't be you. They told me that there was only one." Rion charged Leif and cut at him with his sword. Leif blocked it and their swords locked. "It is you. So my sister had twins with the scum. Not that it shall matter for long. I'm surprised that no one noticed in the time they had."

"What are you talking about?" Leif shoved the king backwards forcing him over a low bench.

"You don't get it kid? Ilia's your sister. You have the same eyes and hair. The only difference is that you are male. I'm surprised it took this long for me to figure it out. Unfortunately for you that means that you have to die as well." Rion jumped from the floor to a standing position. He swung again at Leif who countered and thrust his sword into the king's abdomen. The armor was still as strong as it had been and Leif's sword just bounced off. Rion took advantage cut Leif's tunic and gave him a thin cut from his right shoulder to his left abdomen.

Leif staggered back and circled the warrior. This was going to be harder than he anticipated and with that first cut he was already losing blood.

"So you made it, after all this time I was beginning to think I'd be guarding this place forever." A large warrior with a sword nearly the size of Ilia stood between her and the mystical Gem that gave the Ameren weapons their power. "I see that you brought the stones as well. I was expecting a male though, someone who would give me a good fight before I killed him. Not a small girl like yourself. It is a shame I should have to kill someone like you."

The warrior stepped forward and swung his weapon at Ilia. She brought up her sword and deflected the blow, but it still shook her arm with tremendous force. There was no way that she could beat this man by herself, but she knew she was their last chance. So she ushered new strength and swung at the warrior cutting his shoulder and giving her a chance to dodge his counter.

"You are stronger than I had expected. Don't expect me to make that mistake again." He swung at her with renewed vigor. Ilia still dodge the strike and stabbed at the soldier, he was faster than he looked he dodged the thrust and grabbed her wrist and lifted her off her feet. The stones fell out of the sack she had and clanged to the floor. He head-butted her and let her drop to the floor with a fresh cut on her forehead.

Ilia was disoriented and blood was beginning to flow over her eyes. She wiped the blood from her eyes and grabbed the stones. She looked up to see the warriors standing over her with his massive sword. She had failed. Now everyone she knew, the kids, Rusl. They would all be gone. The last thing she thought was of Link. She could seem him almost perfectly clearly.

The Temple shook and she was taken out of her daze. The soldier in front of her was suddenly left without a weapon and without any armor. The stones were gone and as was the blood. The cuts that had covered her were healed. She noticed the gem was growing brighter by the second. Then she felt familiar hands wrap around her and she was carried quickly out of the temple. The building collapsed seconds after she was taken from the temple. She looked up to see Link, out of breathe, still holding her.

"You've done it, Miss."

"I didn't do anything. I couldn't even beat the warrior in the temple."

"What do you mean? Once the stones have been gather in the temple it just takes a drop of royal blood for them to be activated. There is no one that can defeat the warrior inside for he doesn't exist. He was simply the spirit of our past king. He could have killed you if he had wanted, but he must have thought that it was time that he and this era pass."

"After everything we've done this is all it took?"

"Would you have preferred to have to beat the king? You should be happy that you escaped with your life. After all your parents did to protect the stones."

"Why didn't my dad just hold on to them?

"All that one would have to do is destroy one of the stones to stop you. Bo knew that he could be there to protect the stones and raise a family. He hid the stones in places that he knew that no ordinary man could get them. It had to be someone that had everything to lose. Someone who if they failed would lose not only everything they owned but everyone they ever knew, ever loved. Bo was perhaps the finest warrior that we had ever had. Yet he knew what was happening. He was perhaps the wisest of us all. Now you must return home. They need you there now. Promise me this though. Either you or your brother must return here."

"I don't even know where he is. Everyone's been talking about him, but I've never met him in my entire life."

"Yes you have. He was the one that saved your village. He is the one that even now is presently defending the people of Hyrule. Leif, he is your brother. Now go and return. They may still need your help.

Leif was beginning to feel the effects of the blood loss drain at his strength. His vision began to blur and he struggled to keep his eyes open. He felt himself slip and he hit the floor right in front of Rion.

"Hahahahaha. You really thought that you could beat me. My army is unstoppable. You have lost and not even you can stop me." Rion drew back his sword to finish his opponent, but Zelda stepped forward and moved to counter the blow. Rion simply took a quick slash and cut cleanly through her sword. "Don't you understand yet? Our weapons are better than yours will ever be. The only reason the Leif lasted this long was his sword is made from the same material as ours. Now prepare to die."

In the instant Rion thrust his sword to stab Zelda and Leif thrust his dagger into Rion heart a brilliant light flashed through the throne room and passed. Rion regained his vision, but he felt a sharp pain. Looking down he noticed that his sword and armor had disintegrated and the dust was floating by. The king collapse to the floor where he lay for a second, eyes questioning, before passing from the world.

"Leif. Are you alright." Zelda knelt down next to the injured soldier who was on the very edge of life. Quickly Zelda pulled a potion from her pouch and pressed it to his lips. Leif drank the mixture and immediately felt the wound begin to heal. The pain was still present, but he knew that he was lucky to even be alive.

"I'll live I suppose." Leif laughed as he struggled to his feet.

"Ma'am" The general rushed into the room. "The enemy is waving a white flag, should we…? What happened?"

"They came to kill me, but thankfully Leif was here to protect me." She winked at Leif before turning back to the general. "Let them in. Link and Ilia were successful." The general ran out of the room and had the guards open the gate.

"Leif I am thankful for all you've done, and all that your people have done for us. When you come up with a favor our kingdom would be happy to help you in any way possible."

"I don't think I came speak for the rest of my team," Leif said walking closer to her. He stopped only a foot away. "But I wouldn't mind a kiss from the fair princess." He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Zelda didn't pull away, in fact she welcomed the kiss, but all good things must come to an end. Zelda broke the kiss after several seconds. She stared into his eyes and he noticed a quiet sadness behind their calm exterior.

"I'm sorry Leif, but the laws state that royalty can only begin a relationship with someone who is also of royal descent. I'm sorry." A single tear slipped down her cheek, which Leif wiped away just before the general returned with two of the enemy soldiers.

"We offer our life to you sir." The soldier on the left said kneeling.

"She is not to be referred to in such a manner knaves." The general kicked at the soldier.

"I was not talking to her." The soldier responded catching the general's foot. "I'm talking to him." The soldier pointed at Leif. "Sire, with the death of Rion you are next in line for the throne."

"Surely you must be joking, I'm no king. I've lived in Irese all of my life. There's no way I'm your king."

"That is where you are wrong my friend." The second man spoke up. "I met your sister very recently. She was quite the cute girl if I say so myself, but you were separated from your twin sister at birth by your father. Your mother was next in line for the throne, but she was exiled by the dead man on the floor here. You see, the reason that Rion went through all this trouble was to kill Ilia, but you had no idea she was your sister. The resemblance is striking, but there isn't a way you would have noticed because she left so early after you met her."

"So you're telling me that I am now in charge of an entire country." Leif sat down one of the steps.

"Yes. You are the next available heir. It is your duty should you accept it."

"I don't know how to run a country. How would I ever be able to handle that?"

"I think I could help you with that." Zelda slipped an arm around him. "How hard could it be anyway?"

"I don't know."

"So you can lead a squad into a battle with no prior information, but you can't take your time to learn to run a country, even with unlimited help at your disposal." Sori, Palee, and Sipes stood in the doorway. "It's a miracle you're not dead yet. You know that?"

"So I've been told. I guess we've got a lot to do. Soldier can you have them men begin repairing the city."

"It will begin right away sir."

"As for you old man, what is it that you are here for."

"I have a tale of great courage for you a story of three souls who ventured across the wilderness to save a country not their own."

"Link!" The children ran forward to meet their hero who had finally arrived back in town. The castle was looking newer than ever and there were guards patrolling the entire length of the wall. One of them spotted Link and Ilia and sent a message to Zelda.

Rusl and Colin accompanied the couple into the main courtyard. When they walked into the courtyard there was a flurry of activity. Soldiers were training and there were workers replacing some of the damaged portions of the walls. The company walked into the main room where Zelda, Leif and several others were waiting.

"You did it. Once again the people of Hyrule are greatly indebted to you. If there is anything that you every need it will be given to you." Link just shook his head. "As you wish, but the offer will always be on the table. Leif, I suppose that you will want to talk to them."

"Ilia, I suppose it's time that we officially met." Leif walked over to her. "I am the leader of a band of great fighters from Irese, and now am the leader of a great nation. Most importantly though…"

"You're my brother."

"How did you know that?"

"You have Mother's eyes." Ilia retrieved her locket and handed it to Leif. Leif admired it for a moment before grabbing his and placing his half of the picture with hers. The seams matched up perfectly, but it was nothing of consequence for they knew the truth. Ilia embraced her brother and let a flood of tears that had been held back since they had left their adventure.

"It's alright. I'm here now. I know that it's been a rough ride, but you made it through some experiences that many people wouldn't even think of facing. You and Link both deserve more than anyone could ever give you."

Link stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his friend. He felt her suddenly become calm the moment he touched her. She let him take her back to where Rusl and Colin stood.

"What are you going to do now? The world is finally becoming peaceful and there is much to do."

Rusl looked at the two leaders that stood before them. "That is a job for you and your lady to work on. I am returning home with my son and family so that we can rebuild. The villagers will be joining us."

"What of you two?" Leif pointed at his sister and her friend.

"I am glad to have met you, but this is a time that is not for us, nor for them. It is for you to decide. We are going to make our own adventure." With that the four heroes exited the castle.

Leif looked at Zelda and grabbed her hand. They watched the doors swing shut as they were left with plenty to do.


End file.
